BWip-'  te'-”-  ms.-*  '■  « ■*  ' 


'HoNnr^  *‘'  ■ ’ 'V  * * ->:\.1^BMt 

^ 1;  wB 

fc'  .^•:r-  > , ' -4-  "'  ' ■ ^la» 

Ife?- ■••■■■,  . •-'  .d 


V ??#■ 

iL  , S^t’.  i _ 3 

' ^* -afr-  * ' -'i 

'mSl  ■:"  J 


' » 


>:-^'  '3Q;-/W 
,;j-*^' '3 

5 Mr  • * : iim 


■ ■- ■■  ;■  !sk 


. T 


‘«\:  rEyiV'.  i ,*  ■ ‘^  ^.18  ■ •».■-!•• 


- '’I.  ”Uifl 


.14  : 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/orientitspeople00haus_0 


Rajah  and  Rani— Hindu  Prince  and  Princess. 

Nawab  and  Begum— Muhummedan  Prince  and  Princess. 


THE  ORIENT 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


BY 

Mrs.  I.  L. llAUSER. 

SEVEN  YEARS  A MISSIONARY'  IN  NORTHERN  INDIA. 


MILWAUKEE  ; 

I.  L.  HAUSER  & COMPANY. 

1876. 


COPYKIGHT  1876, 

BY  I.  L.  HAUSER  & COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


In  the  Orient  are  the  two  vast  empires  of  India  and 
China.  In  their  antiquity,  extent,  fertility,  and  greatness 
of  population,  they  rank  first  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  In  these  two  countries  are  nearly  700,000,000  of 
people,  about  one-half  of  the  earth’s  inhabitants,  all  bound 
by  the  shackles  of  idolatry,  superstition,  and  ignorance. 
For  the  breaking  of  these  fetters,  and  enlightenment  of 
these  millions  of  our  fellow  men,  we  are  called  upon 
to  sustain  Christian  missions,  in  which  many  Chris- 
tian people  have  but  little  interest,  because  they  fail 
to  realize  that  the  heathen  are  men  and  women  like 
ourselves,  of  the  same  mental  and  moral  capabilities; 
that  for  like  reasons  we  all  eat  and  drink,  buy  and  sell, 
attire  and  adorn  ourselves ; that  the  same  motives  prompt 
the  heathen  and  Christian  father  to  toil  for  his  family; 
that  it  is  one  love,  mother  love,  that  calls  forth  the  fond 
caressings  and  gentle  lullabys  of  Christian  and  heathen 
mothers  for  their  tender  babes ; that  human  laughter 
and  human  tears  have  but  one  language  the  wide  world 
over;  and  that  the  heathen  are  so  near  of  kin  to  other 


people  that  only  different  surroundings,  teachings, 
and  religions,  seem  to  cause  diversit}'.  I have  striven 
to  picture  the  people  of  India  and  China  in  their  ever}’- 
day  life,  hoping  that  some,  reading  these  sketches,  may 
feel  better  acquainted  with  our  brethren  and  sisters  ot 
those  countries ; that  love  and  interest,  as  well  as  duty, 
may  prompt  them  to  aid  in  the  redemption  of  that  part 
of  Christ’s  inheritance. 


Milwaukee,  i8j6. 


CONTENTS. 


INDIA. 

• Page. 

Geographical  Sketch,  by  Rev.  I.  L.  Hauser . ....  i 

Historical  Sketch,  Rev.  I.  L.  Hauser 24 

The  Women  OF  India 43 

Christianity  for  the  Women  of  India 65 

Curious  Customs  in  India 78 

Wonderful  Architecture  in  India 94 

The  Religions  of  India,  by  Rev.  I.  A.  Hauser . . . 115 

The  Brahmo  Samaj 143 

A Religious  Fair  in  India 163 

Bible  Illustk.\tions  from  India 172 

Incidents  of  the  Mutiny  in  Lucknow 182 

Christianity  in  India 196 

CHINA. 

The  Land  of  Sinim 219 

The  Women  of  China 233 

The  Religions  OF  China 249 

Education  and  Literature  in  China 262 

Curious  Customs  IN  China 272 

The  Opium  War 286 

The  Chinese  in  America 295 

An  Emperor’s  Edict 307 

Christian  Missions  in  China 31 1 

Christian  Work  Among  the  Women  of  China.  .325 


INDIA. 


A HINDU  MOTHER 

Mourning  over  the  dead  body  of  her  babe,  and,  with  a 
mothers  love,  loth  to  bury  it  in  the  sacred  river, 


1 


THE  ORIENT 

AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


A GEOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

Hindustan  or  India  is  one  of  the  peninsulas  of  South- 
ern Asia.  From  its  situation  and  natural  resources,  it  is 
the  richest  country  of  that  Continent,  “an  epitome  of  the 
whole  earth.”  To  the  ancients  it  was  a Wonderland, 
a Golden  Chersonesus,  gorgeous  with  barbaric  pearl 
and  gold,  redolent  of  fragrant  odors  and  spices,  and 
densely  populated  by  a singular  people,  distinguished  for 
their  arts,  science,  literature,  many  strange  customs,  and 
especially  for  their  devotion  to  a peculiar  religion.  To 
the  imagination  of  the  Western  world,  it  was  a Golconda 
of  riches,  a prize  coveted  by  all,  which,  for  nearly 
thirty  centuries,  the  armies  of  many  kings  fought  to  win 
for  their  masters.  Its  greatest  length  from  Kushmir 
to  Cape  Comorin  is  1,900  miles,  and  its  breadth  1,600 
miles.  Its  area  is  1,527,698  square  miles,  nearly  half  as 
large  as  all  the  area  of  the  United  States.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  and  east  by  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  and 
on  the  south  and  west  by  the  sea  and  the  river  Indus. 
The  Himalayas  separate  it  from  Tibet  and  China. 

This  is  the  highest  mountain  range  on  the  globe,  many 
of  its  peaks  rising  from  15,000  to  30,000  feet  above  the 
sea.  The  chain  commences  in  Burmah,  and  extends  to 


2 


TEE  ORIENT 


Affghanistan,  a distance  of  over  2,000  miles.  Its  width 
is  from  100  to  150  miles.  It  is  made  up  of  a succession 
of  ridges  of  mountains,  running  in  every  direction, 
according  to  the  course  of  the  streams  and  rivers  that 
have  for  ages  been  furrowing  out  the  valleys.  There  is 
scarcely  any  level  land,  and  that  which  is  cultivated  by 
the  millions  of  people  living  in  the  mountains  is  made 
into  terraces.  The  farmers  commence  at  the  bottom  of 
the  valley,  build  a little  wall,  and  level  as  much  land  as 
possible,  then  form  another  wall,  and  so  continue  up  the 
side  of  the  hill  or  mountain.  I have  seen  a tea  planta- 
tion, the  first  terrace  of  which  was  by  the  side  of  the 
stream  in  the  valley,  4,000  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the 
last  field  over  7,000  feet.  Many  of  the  lower  hills  are 
cultivated  to  the  very  top,  on  which  stands  an  idol  temple, 
and  near  it  the  public  threshing  floor.  The  highest 
places  throughout  India  are  selected  for  the  temples. 

There  are  no  roads  in  these  mountains,  but  only  paths 
from  one  foot  to  six  feet  in  width.  These  generally  fol- 
low the  water  courses,  and  when,  to  shorten  the  dis- 
tance, it  is  necessary  to  cross  a ridge  a mile  or  two  in 
height,  the  path  takes  a zig-zag  course  one  or  two  hun- 
dred feet  either  way,  at  a slight  elevation,  until  it  reaches 
the  top,  and  then  down  the  other  side  in  the  same  way. 
To  cross  one  of  these  ridges  is  about  alia  traveler  wishes 
to  do  in  a day,  especiall}'  with  an  Indian  sun  over  his 
head. 

There  are  no  wheeled  vehicles  in  the  mountains,  and 
all  the  burdens  are  carried  by  ponies,  cattle,  sheep,  goats, 
men  and  women.  Most  of  this  labor  is  done  by  men, 
mountaineers,  a race  by  themselves,  very  hardy,  and  who 
carr}'  day  after  day  fifty  to  one  hundred  pounds  each, 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


3 


going  from  eight  to  ten  miles  a day.  In  some  mountain 
provinces  the  men  carry  their  burdens  on  their  backs,  in 
others  on  their  heads,  and  to  change  this  custom,  even  for 
an  hour,  would  throw  them  out  of  caste.  I once  helped 
to  place  a pack  on  the  head  of  one  of  my  carriers,  instead 
of  to  his  back,  when  he  was  very  much  overcome  by  the 
thought  of  losing  his  caste. 

Although  there  is  plenty  of  the  finest  water,  the  people 
seldom  wash  or  bathe  their  bodies,  believing  that  if  they 
should  do  so  sudden  death  would  ensue.  This  idea  is 
peculiar  to  the  mountaineers,  for  the  Hindu  inhabitants 
on  the  plains  are  the  most  cleanly  people  of  the  earth. 
One  of  their  rules  is  to  bathe  the  body  before  meals.  I 
had  with  me,  on  a trip  in  these  mountains,  several  Hindus 
from  the  plains,  and  a number  of  mountain  men.  We 
found  an  abundance  of  the  finest  strawberries  growing  in 
spots  where  sheep  had  been  herded  during  the  rainy 
seasons  of  previous  years.  So  thick  was  the  fruit  upon  the 
ground  that  we  could  scarcely  walk  without  treading 
upon  it,  yet  my  fellows  of  the  plains  would  not  touch 
one  of  the  berries  because  they  had  not  bathed  or  rinsed 
their  mouths  with  water,  while  the  others  had  to  be  driven 
away  from  their  feast  of  the  luscious  fruit. 

The  poor  men  needed  something,  for  at  home  in  their 
villages  they  ate  what  they  could  pick  up  in  the  forests 
and  fields,  and  on  this  journey  all  they  had  to  eat  was 
parched  barley,  ground  into  flour,  which  they  carried  in 
little  hempen  bags,  holding  a quart  or  two  each.  When 
meal  time  or  desperate  hunger  came,  they  would  put  a 
little  of  this  meal  upon  a flat  stone,  and  moistening  it  with 
water,  dipped  from  the  stream  with  the  hand,  would 
knead  it  into  a ball,  and  then  eat  it  with  great  satisfac- 


4 


THE  ORIENT 


tion.  One  day,  after  going  up  a steep  ascent,  as  I was 
leaning  on  my  staff,  puffing  and  panting,  one  of  these 
men  with  only  a dhoti  (loin  cloth)  and  skull-cap  upon 
him,  looked  with  pity  on  me,  and  after  glancing  around 
to  see  that  no  one  was  observing,  handed  me  half  an 
onion,  evidently  thinking  it  would  revive  me. 

There  are  a number  of  passes  through  which  mostly 
traders  of  the  northern  side,  from  Bhot  or  Thibet,  come 
with  their  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  herds  of  the 
yuk,  Thibetan  oxen,  all  laden  with  salt,  saltpetre,  lamb- 
skins, wool,  fur,  and  other  commodities,  for  which  they 
obtain  wheat,  rice,  and  goods  from  the  plains,  among 
which,  latterly,  tea  from  the  southern  Himalayas,  forms 
a part.  They  do  not  use  tea  as  other  nations,  but  boil 
the  leaves,  putting  in  butter,  and  then  eat  the  whole 
mixture,  leaves  and  all.  Throughout  India,  nothing  that 
can  be  eaten  is  rejected.  They  never  peel  a potato, 
throw  away  a turnip-top  or  the  outer  leaves  of  the  cab- 
bage, nor  do  they  despise  the  prickly  thistles  or  weeds. 
The  richer  may  eat  the  wheat  and  the  turnip,  but  the 
poorer  are  willing  and  even  glad  to  get  the  coarser 
(Trains,  the  weeds  and  refuse. 

In  these  mountains,  the  traveler,  during  one  day’s 
march,  can  pass  through  all  the  varied  scenery  and  cli- 
mate of  the  torrid,  temperate,  and  frigid  zones.  From 
the  intense  heat  in  the  valley  below,  where  he  can  enjoy 
oranges,  bananas,  and  other  tropical  fruits,  see  monke}"s 
sporting  in  the  trees,  parrots  and  birds  of  the  gayest 
plumage  flitting  about  him,  he  ascends  to  where  he  may 
comfortably  recline  in  the  sunlight,  or  pluck  fresh  apples, 
plums,  and  apricots;  and  again  pursuing  his  journey, 
passing  beyond  the  line  of  no  vegetation,  he  may  sit 


■iND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


5 


shivering  with  the  cold,  and  look  around  him  upon  one 
unrelieved  mass  of  snow  and  ice.  After  reaching  the 
tops  of  the  hills,  or  lower  mountains,  he  can  look  back 
upon  the  plains  at  his  feet,  extending  into  the  dim  dis- 
tance, covered  with  forests,  broken  by  the  rivers  and 
streams  threading  their  way  to  the  thirsty  plains  towards 
the  sea;  then,  turning  in  the  opposite  direction,  looking 
over  range  after  range,  each  rising  higher,  until  fifty  and 
sometimes  one  hundred  miles  beyond,  the  horizon  is  ter- 
minated by  a vast  turreted  rampart  of  ice  and  snow.  One 
of  the  grandest  sights  that  can  inspire  the  heart  of  a 
traveler,  is  after  he  has  arrived  apparently  within  shoot- 
ing distance  of  the  great  glaciers,  but  in  reality  several 
miles  from  them,  and  from  a height  on  the  opposite 
mountain  of  18,000  or  20,000  feet.  He  should  end  his 
toilsome  march  in  the  evening,  too  late  for  seeing,  and 
then,  after  a good  night’s  rest,  and  such  a rest  it  is, 
he  comes  out  of  his  little  tent  in  the  early  morning  before 
the  clouds  in  the  valley  are  up. 

The  scene  before  him  is  inconceivable,  except  by  those 
Avho  have  enjoyed  it.  An  awful  and  undisturbed  solitude 
is  around  him.  He  looks  down  into  the  valley,  so  deep 
that  the  rushing  river  appears  like  a line  of  silver  light; 
the  sides  of  the  valley  covered  with  a dense  green  vege- 
tation, and  higher  up  the  pure  glistening  ice.  Standing 
upon  the  roof  of  the  world,  he  looks  with  fear  into  the 
depths  beneath  him,  when,  suddenly  to  the  eastward,  the 
golden  light  of  the  rising  sun  fringes  the  jagged  edges 
of  the  icy  pyramids,  castles  and  towers,  that  rise  up  for  a 
mile  into  the  heavens  above  him,  a picture  so  grand 
as  to  fill  him  with  awe.  As  the  day  advances,  the  light 
of  that  oriental  sun  is  reflected  with  such  radiance  around 


6 


THE  ORIENT 


those  vast  domes,  that  he  is  ready  to  exclaim,  “Lift  up 
your  heads,  O ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlast- 
ing doors,  and  let  the  King  of  glory  come  in.” 

One  day’s  enjoyment  of  such  a scene  is  a reward  for  a 
month’s  toilsome  journey.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  grandest  and  most  sublime  scenery  of  the  world  is  in 
the  Himalaya  mountains.  If  men  could  have  formed 
the  Alps,  only  God  could  have  created  the  Himalayas; 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  natives,  looking  upon  these 
awful  heights  and  depths,  should  believe  them  to  be  the 
homes  of  their  gods,  and  come  hither  by  millions  to  wor- 
ship. 

The  mountains,  especially  the  Himalayas,  are  the  rain- 
producers  of  India . At  the  approach  of  the  rainy  season, 
the  natives  look  to  the  mountains  and  watch  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  clouds,  and  their  appearance  is  a cause  of  great 
rejoicing,  for  their  delay  means  famine  and  death. 

While  in  these  higher  altitudes,  I watched  with  consid- 
erable interest  the  making  up  of  these  great  cloud  bat- 
talions. At  early  morning  I could  look  down  into  the 
valley  upon  an  undisturbed  white  sea,  but  as  the  sun 
came  up,  this  dense  mass  of  vapor  would  rise,  and,  sepa- 
rating into  all  sizes  of  grand,  fantastic  shapes,  form  into 
line,  and  pass  over  the  ridges  and  around  the  peaks, 
chasing  each  other  toward  the  plains.  The  atmosphere 
during  the  daytime  was  that  of  a hot  summer’s  day,  but 
as  cold  as  death  at  night.  During  the  day,  a coat  was 
a burden,  but  at  night  a burden  of  blankets  was  a com- 
fort. 

The  rainy  season  in  India  lasts  about  three  months, 
usually  commencing  in  June.  The  rains  are  very  exces- 
sive, and  particularly  so  upon  the  mountains,  where  in 


AjSTD  its  people. 


7 


some  places  frequently  the  rain-fall  is  three  hundred 
inches  in  four  months,  but  not  so  great  on  the  plains, 
however,  as  our  magistrate’s  report  indicated.  One  eve- 
ning, at  our  station  dinner  at  the  magistrate’s,  where  all 
the  Europeans,  eight  in  number,  were  assembled,  the  gen- 
tleman at  the  head  of  the  table  remarked,  that  there  had 
been  an  extraordinary  rainy  season,  thirty  feet  of  water 
having  already  fallen.  The  surgeon,  a wide-awake 
Scotchman,  always  ready  to  catch  the  “Barra  Sahib” 
tripping,  disputed  the  statement,  but  the  magistrate  de- 
clared it  was  positively  so,  as  he  had  received  reports 
from  all  parts  of  the  district.  The  discussion  continued 
late  into  the  drawing-room,  but  the  next  day,  the  little 
doctor  found  that  the  native  scientist  at  the  head  of  this 
department  had  added  all  the  reports  together  to  make 
the  thirty  feet! 

The  rains  in  the  mountains  continue  for  days,  frequently 
without  intermission,  and  the  ground  becomes  filled  with 
water,  producing  land  slides.  During  one  of  these  rains 
at  Nyni  TM,  I saw  an  avalanche  of  earth,  stones,  and 
rock  from  the  mountain  side,  that  nearly  buried  a number 
of  European  houses. 

On  account  of  these  heavy  rains,  moss  grows  upon  the 
limbs  of  the  trees,  in  which  ferns,  small  shrubs,  and 
creeping  vines  take  root,  and  grow,  giving  the  trees  a 
very  singular  appearance. 

During  the  rains,  the  dry  beds  of  the  valleys  are  filled 
with  rushing  torrents  that  swell  the  larger  rivers.  Some 
of  these  smaller  streams  are  crossed  by  walking  on  the 
slender  body  of  a tall  pine  that  reaches  from  side  to  side 
over  the  gorge,  and  woe  be  to  the  traveler,  who  with  a 
giddy  head,  has  an  unsteady  foot.  Some  of  the  rivers 


8 


THE  OIUEXT 


have  two  ropes  about  a foot  apart,  suspended  across 
them.  A small  basket  hangs  from  these  by  a pulley  on 
either  rope.  The  native  enters  the  basket  and  goes 
rushing  down  to  midway  of  the  river,  and  then  pulls 
himself  up  to  the  other  side,  by  catching  hold  of  the  ropes 
above  him.  Another  method  is  by  a single  rope.  The 
native  hangs  suspended  by  his  feet  and  hands,  his  feet 
foremost,  and  using  both  his  hands  and  feet,  works  his 
way  across.  Other  rivers  are  crossed  by  a bridge  of 
four  ropes,  two  above  the  lower,  and  laterally  about  four 
feet  apart.  Stay  ropes  are  at  the  sides,  and  on  the  bot- 
tom are  bamboos,  tied  on  the  lower  ropes  at  intervals, 
through  which  a full-fed  Brahmin  might  fall  without  hit- 
ting himself.  The  first  experience  I had  of  such  a bridge 
was  on  my  arrival  at  the  Ganges  in  the  mountains.  The 
morning  was  spent  in  coming  down  the  mountain  by  a 
zig-zag  path,  and  while  yet  far  above  the  river,  I saw  a 
bridge  of  this  kind  swinging  back  and  forth  over  the 
roaring,  rushing  current,  and  an  object  slowly  crawl- 
ing along  on  the  bottom.  When  I reached  the  bridge, 
I met  my  Anglo- Yankee  fellow-traveler,  and  brother 
missionar}',  who,  with  flushed  face,  trembling,  whis- 
pered, “I  have  sinned,  grievously  sinned,  in  risking  my 
life  on  that  thing.” 

The  storms  that  sometimes  occur  are  in  harmony  with 
the  mountains  and  valleys.  I have  passed  through  a 
C}'clone  storm  at  sea  of  four  days’ duration,  enjoyed  earth- 
quakes and  storms  on  land,  but  never  experienced  any- 
thing like  the  terrific  grandeur  of  a thunder  and  lightning 
tempest  on  those  heights.  In  that  rarified  air  the  hear- 
ing is  so  delicate,  the  sound  so  intense,  and  the  glare  of 
the  lightning  so  blinding,  that  with  the  echoing  and  re- 


AZV’Z)  ITS  PEOPLE. 


9 


verberating  of  the  thunder  from  the  many-sided  valley ; 
the  vivid  flashing  and  plajdng  of  the  lightning  above  me, 
at  my  feet,  and  in  the  valle}' below ; standing  in  the  midst 
of  the  cloud,  the  thunder  right  in  my  ears,  the  light  in 
my  eyes,  appalling  and  confounding  me,  it  seemed  as  if 
the  judgment  day  had  surely  come,  and  I must  cry  out 
to  the  rocks  and  mountains  to  hide  me  from  the  apparent 
wrath  of  the  Infinite  God. 

I once  enjoyed  the  rare  sight  of  a storm  below  me.  I 
was  about  a mile  and  a half  above  the  bottom  of  a valley. 
Above  w'as  the  clear  sky,  and  the  valley  below  was  filled 
with  a dense  cloud  in  which  the  lightning  flashed  and  the 
thunder  reverberated.  Above  the  storm,  and  out  of  its 
way,  I looked  down  upon  it  with  much  satisfaction  and 
enjoyment. 

Along  the  base  of  the  Himalayas  is  a strip  ot  land- 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  in  width,  called  the  tcr- 
rai.  During  the  rain}^  season  it  becomes  a marshy 
swamp,  through  the  rains  that  fall,  and  the  overflow  ol 
the  rivers.  It  is  covered  with  trees,  bamboos,  running 
vines  hundreds  of  feet  in  length,  reeds,  thorns,  and  tall 
grass;  a dense  netted  cane-brake,  the  home  of  the  wild 
elephant,  tiger,  hyena,  boa-constrictor,  leopard,  herds 
of  various  kinds  of  deer  and  antelope,  numerous  kinds 
of  fowl,  beautiful  plumaged  birds,  myriads  of  insects, 
and  the  hot-bed  of  pestilential  \-^pors.  The  natives,  who 
during  the  dry  and  cold  seasons,  cultivate  parts  of  it,  get 
out  timber,  wood  and  bamboos,  or  gather  various  gums, 
leave  it  at  the  beginning  of  the  rains,  and  it  is  almost 
certain  death  for  a European  to  sleep  in  it  for  a night 
in  that  season. 

At  Cape  Comorin,  the  southern  point  of  India,  a range 


10 


THE  ORIENT 


of  mountains  commences,  that  extends  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  sea  coast,  for  nearly  one  thousand  miles  north- 
ward, called  the  Western  Ghats.  Ghat  is  the  name  for 
step.  Their  height  varies  from  two  thousand  to  five 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Several  hundred  miles 
from  the  Cape  another  range  begins,  that  runs  eastward 
along  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  called  the  Eastern  Ghats. 

About  two  and  a half  degrees  from  the  Cape,  are  the 
Neilgherry  Hills,  some  of  them  rising  to  the  height  of 
seven  thousand  and  eight  thousand  feet. 

As  the  Hindus  tell  the  story,  the  origin  of  the  latter  is 
thus  accounted  for:  Ravena,  the  giant  hundred-headed 
King  of  Lunka  (Ceylon),  had  stolen  Seta,  the  wife  of 
the  god  Ram.  In  his  hot  pursuit  of  the  destroyer  of  his 
marital  happiness,  with  his  sword  high  uplifted,  ready  to 
bring  it  down  with  dire  vengeance  on  the  heads  of  his 
enemy.  Ram  incautiously  struck  the  face  of  the  moon 
with  the  point  of  his  weapon,  and  brought  down  a large 
slice  of  green  mountain,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Chundgherri,  or  Moon  Mountain,  but  afterwards,  wishing 
to  forget  his  mishap,  he  changed  the  name  to  Neilgherry, 
or  Blue  Mountain.  Devout  Hindus  can  still  see  on  the 
moon  the  place  where  the  mountain  was  cut  oft. 

The  Vyndian  chain  of  mountains,  along  the  Nerbudda 
River,  breaks  the  monotony  of  the  vast  extent  of  country 
north  of  the  Ghats.  With  these  exceptions,  the  southern 
part  of  India  is  a vast  plain,  with  only  occasional  rocks, 
two  hundred  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  rising  like  pyr- 
amids from  the  desert;  some  districts,  like  that  of  Ben- 
gal, not  being  diversified  with  a single  rock  or  hill. 

The  Hindus,  ready  to  give  a supernatural  origin  for 
ever^’thing,  thus  account  for  these  scattered  pyramidal 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


11 


rocks:  After  St^ta  had  been  stolen  by  Ravena,  and  car- 
ried to  the  island  of  Ceylon,  Ram,  her  husband,  went  to 
Haniiman,  the  monkey  god  and  king  of  the  monkeys, 
and  begged  him  to  assist  with  his  army  in  the  recovery 
of  Seta.  To  reach  the  island,  it  was  necessary  to  con- 
struct a bridge  or  causeway  from  the  mainland.  Stone 
was  brought  by  the  monkeys  from  the  Himalayas,  and 
when  enough  had  been  supplied,  word  was  sent  back  to 
those  yet  on  the  road,  when  they  threw  their  loads  aside, 
and  hence  these  hills. 

These  several  mountain  ranges  and  hills  are  of  incal- 
culable benefit  to  India,  not  only  breaking  the  monotony 
of  the  great  plain,  but  producing  a grandeur  and  a vari- 
ety of  scenery,  soil,  and  climate,  such  as  is  possessed  by 
no  other  country  on  the  globe. 

In  the  HimMayas  the  great  rivers  of  India  rise.  On 
the  north  side,  about  midway  of  the  length  of  the  range, 
the  Indus  commences,  and  flowing  for  two  hundred  miles 
through  Thibet,  it  goes  southward  through  a deep 
gorge,  and  after  a distance  of  seventeen  hundred  miles 
more,  empties  into  the  Arabian  Sea  by  thirteen  mouths, 
extending  along  the  coast  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

Near  the  source  of  the  Indus  the  Brahmaputra  rises. 
Brahma,  the  name  of  a Hindu  god,  and  putra,  son. 
This  river  passes  for  a long  distance  through  Thibet  and 
then  cuts  through  the  mountain,  near  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  India,  and  flowing  southward,  empties  into  the 
Bay  of  Bengal.  It  is  over  fifteen  hundred  miles  in 
length. 

On  the  southern  slope  of  the  great  ridge  that  separates 
India  from  Thibet,  opposite  the  source  of  the  Indus,  and 
at  an  elevation  of  13,800  feet  above  the  sea,  from  under 


12 


THE  ORIENT 


the  arch  of  a snow  bed,  runs  a little  stream.  Others 
join  it  as  it  flows  southward.  At  Deoprag  it  meets  the 
Alakanunda,  and  after  that  it  is  called  Gunga  by  the 
natives  and  Ganges  by  the  Europeans.  For  a hundred 
miles  it  rushes  over  the  rocks  and  through  the  gorges, 
the  water  churned  to  a milk-white  foam,  and  filled  with 
white  stone  dust  worn  from  the  rocks.  At  Hurdwar 
it  enters  upon  the  plains  of  India.  Huri  is  the  name  of 
a god  and  dwar  door.  The  Ganges  being  worshipped 
by  the  natives,  the  place  where  it  breaks  through  the 
mountains  is  called  the  door  of  god.  My  home  for  six 
years  was  within  forty-five  miles  of  this  place,  and  my 
district  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  it.  This  is 
a sacred  spot,  where  there  are  a number  of  fine  temples. 
Formerly  millions  of  people  came  to  Hurdwar  in  the 
month  of  April  of  each  year,  but  now  only  hundreds  of 
thousands.  With  the  spread  of  intelligence,  through 
missionary  labor,  the  number  is  annually  diminishing. 
Every  twelfth  year  is  the  Kumbh  mela,  circle  assemblage, 
when  the  sun  completes  the  zodiac,  and  each  sixth  year 
the  Adha  Kumbh,  or  half  circle.  Mela  is  the  word  for 
assemblage,  a crowd,  the  e having  the  first  sound  of  a, 
and  the  a its  Italian  sound.  It  was  probably  in  former 
times  only  a religious  gathering,  but  latterly  it  becomes 
on  these  occasions  a great  mart  for  trade.  A score  of 
different  languages  are  spoken  by  the  people,  who  come 
not  only  from  every  part  of  India,  but  from  Turkistan, 
Kabul,  Cashmere,  Affghanistan,  and  Beluchistan. 

The  unwashed  Bedouin,  with  his  loose  trousers  and  big 
turban;  the  richly  dressed  Hindu,  with  his  tents,  ele- 
phants, and  retinue  of  servants ; the  N aga,  or  naked 
devotee,  his  body  smeared  with  filth,  his  hair,  four  or 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


l:} 

five  feet  in  length,  braided  and  wound  around  his  head 
like  a turban,  and  bleached  yellow  by  the  ashes  put  upon 
it,  then  the  sleek  and  well-fed  Brahmin,  feeling  very  hap- 
py, as  this  is  his  time  for  tribute — from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  all  sorts  are  here.  Strings  of  camels,  miles 
in  length,  come  laden  with  the  rich  camel  hair  goods,. 
Cashmere  woolen  shawls,  and  various  kinds  of  dried  fruit 
and  nuts.  Acres  of  ground  are  covered  with  fine  Arab 
horses,  the  chubby  horses  from  Kabiil,  or  the  snow- 
white,  slender-legged,  Brahmini  cattle  of  the  plains.  For 
ten  days  or  more,  the  religious  Hindus  bathe,  the  Brah- 
mins take  tribute,  the  thieves  steal,  the  traders  make 
money,  and  the  whole  crowd  do  what  such  a collection 
of  unregenerate  humanity  would  do  in  any  country. 

This  is  the  place  where  cholera  comes  into  the  world. 
I was  at  this  mela  four  years  in  succession,  and  in  1864 
the  cholera  broke  out  among  the  vast  crowd,  estimated 
by  government  officers  to  number  about  two  and  a halt 
millions.  The  government,  to  protect  the  country  from 
the  spread  of  this  disease,  sent  native  policemen  in  advance 
of  the  returning  pilgrims,  down  through  India,  to  erect 
shelter,  and  station  food  dealers  away  from  the  villages 
and  cities.  The  pilgrims  were  not  allowed  to  enter  the 
villages  or  cities,  but  compelled  to  travel  through  the  fields 
across  the  country,  yet,  with  all  these  precautions,  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  died  from  the  disease.  Nor  did  the 
cholera  stop  in  India.  It  passed  over  the  caravan  routes, 
through  Persia,  Arabia,  Turkey,  through  all  Europe  and 
the  world. 

At  Allahabad  the  Ganges  receives  the  Jumna,  a river 
eight  hundred  miles  in  length.  It  continues  to  receive 
other  tributaries,  until  by  numerous  mouths  it  empties. 


14 


THE  ORIENT 


into  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  sixteen  hundred  miles  from  its 
source.  The  Ganges  is  the  most  sacred  river  in  India. 
The  160,000,000  of  Hindus  worship  it,  bathe  in  it,  and 
annually  millions  die  in  it,  expecting  to  obtain  eternal  life 
through  the  efficacy  of  its  waters.  “The  most  extraor- 
dinary virtues  and  purifying  powers  are  attributed  to  it, 
which  are  believed  to  heal  the  sick,  bless  the  dying,  and 
cleanse  the  vilest  of  the  vile  from  every  sin  in  the  calen- 
dar of  crime,  however  atrocious,  even  murder,  the  most 
diabolical,  not  excepted.  The  Purans  declare  that  the 
sight — the  name — or  the  touch  of  Gunga  takes  away  all 
sin,  however  heinous;  that  thinking  of  Gunga,  when  at  a 
distance,  is  sufficient  to  remove  the  taint  of  sin;  but  that 
bathing  in  Gunga  has  blessings  in  it  of  which  no  imagi- 
nation can  conceive.” 

^ The  Godavery,  in  the  southern  part,  is  sometimes 
called  the  second  Ganges,  by  reason  of  the  supposed 
sacred  and  purifying  properties  ot  its  waters. 

A large  tract  of  country  in  the  Northwest  is  called  the 
Punjab,  on  account  of  the  five  large  rivers  that  flow 
through  it.  Punj  is  the  Persian  word  for  five,  and  ab  for 
water.  But  none  of  these  great  rivers  are  navigable  by 
the  larger  class  of  vessels,  except  for  a short  distance 
from  their  mouths,  on  account  of  the  sand  banks,  inunda- 
tions, rapids,  and  sudden  changes  in  the  channels. 

The  Hindus  burn  the  dead  bodies  of  their  relatives  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  and  throw  the  ashes  into  the 
water ; or  put  the  body  on  a raft  of  wood,  with  a lighted 
lamp  on  each  corner,  and  pushing  it  out  into  the  stream, 

I watch  the  raft  with  eager  eyes  until  it  is  sunk  by  the  cur- 
rent, or  the  crocodiles  overturn  it  for  the  load  it  carries. 
During  the  dry  season,  human  skeletons,  nicely  cleaned 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


15 


and  bleached,  are  seen  scattered  on  the  sand.  There 
is  no  telling  how  many  Hindus  a voracious  fish-eater 
devours  during  a life  time  in  India.  One  morning  at 
Hurdwar,  an  English  officer  wished  me  to  go  with  him 
for  an  hour’s  fishing.  Just  above  us,  on  the  stones  in  the 
current,  was  the  dead  body  of  a woman,  the  crows  peck- 
ing at  it.  He  caught  a very  fine  fish,  and  suggested 
that  it  might  be  well  not  to  mention  the  body  to  the  com- 
pany in  his  tent,  among  whom  there  were  several  ladies, 
until  after  we  had  eaten  the  fish  for  breakfast! 

One  of  the  strange  sights  that  met  us  as  we  entered 
the  Hugly  river  from  the  ocean,  were  the  dead  bodies 
floating  by  us  with  birds  standing  upon  them.  While  at 
Calcutta  the  several  ladies  of  our  company  wished  to  go 
to  the  railway  depot  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and 
before  we  could  get  the  boat  near  enough  to  the  shore 
for  them  to  enter  it,  we  had  to  push  away  with  our  oars 
several  dead  bodies  of  men  and  women  that  had  floated 
down  the  stream  and  lodged  there. 

As  India  lies  mostly  within  the  tropics,  it  is  a hot 
country,  and  in  some  parts  the  heat  is  intense.  The  tem- 
perature of  a place  depends  on  its  distance  from  the  sea 
or  its  altitude  on  the  hills  and  mountains. 

On  the  island  of  Ceylon,  and  on  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern coasts,  the  climate  is  much  more  agreeable  than  it  is 
a number  of  degrees  farther  north  and  inland.  On  the 
coast  there  are  sea  breezes  by  day  and  land  breezes  by 
night,  while  in  the  interior  the  wind  blows  constantly  in 
one  direction,  passing  over  the  heated  plains  and  gather- 
ing heat  as  it  goes. 

There  are  three  seasons  in  India.  The  hot  season 
commences  in  March,  and  continues  till  about  the  middle 


16 


THE  ORIENT 


of  June,  when  the  rainy  season  begins,  which  lasts  till  the 
first  of  September,  the  commencement  of  the  cold  season. 

Spring,  Summer,  Autumn  and  Winter  are  unknown, 
and  as  the  cold  season  is  the  most  delightful  of  all  the 
year,  the  winter  poet’s  line,  in  which  he  suggests  that 
December  might  become  as  pleasant  as  May,  in  India, 
has  to  be  reversed. 

In  the  hot  season  there  are  seldom  any  clouds  to  be 
seen,  and  one  day  is  as  like  another  as  it  possibly  can  be. 
The  sun  rises  like  a big  globe  of  fire  and  goes  down  in 
a blaze.  The  ground  is  bare,  filled  with  crevices,  and  is 
hardened  like  stone.  Soil  that  in  the  rains  is  soft  as  a 
sand  heap,  during  the  dry  weather  can  scarcely  be  dug 
up,  fire  flying  at  every  stroke  of  the  hoe. 

The  thermometer  ranges  during  this  season  from  65  to 
160  degrees.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  it  to  be  140  at 
mid-day,  and  I have  known  it  to  be  1 10  in  the  house  at 
ten  o’clock  at  night.  Sometimes  it  seems  impossible  for 
Europeans  to  survive  the  intense  heat.  Their  houses 
are  necessarily  very  large,  and  built  of  brick,  the  walls 
being  one  and  a half  to  two  feet  thick,  the  ceilings  from 
twenty  to  twenty-four  feet  high,  and  the  rooms  twenty 
by  thirty  or  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  size.  There  are  gen- 
erally a sitting-room,  dining-room,  and  bedrooms,  the 
latter  being  as  large  as  any  room  in  the  house.  Each 
bedroom  has  a bath-room  attached  to  it,  as  a bath  two 
or  three  times  a day,  and  as  many  entire  changes  of 
clothing,  are  necessary  in  order  to  go  through  the  day 
with  any  comfort. 

The  roofs  of  these  houses  are  flat,  and  are  made  of 
strong  beams  a foot  square,  placed  about  four  feet  apart. 
On  these  are  joists  one  foot  apart,  on  which  is  laid  a floor 


AJSfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


17 


of  brick.  On  this  floor  a layer  of  refuse  lime,  gravel,  and 
pounded  brick  is  placed.  A gang  of  kulis,  one  for  about 
every  four  square  feet,  sit  on  their  heels  and  pat  the  sur- 
face with  little  wooden  mallets  for  a day  or  two,  while 
plenty  of  water  is  thrown  upon  it.  A second  layer  of 
finer  brick  and  lime,  of  several  inches  in  thickness,  is  put 
on,  beaten  and  watered  in  the  same  way  as  the  first. 
Then  another  layer  of  still  finer  material,  well  beaten, 
and  lastly,  a fine  coating  of  cement,  in  which  is  mixed  a 
red  color,  that  gives  the  surface  a beautiful  appearance. 

It  requires  twelve  kulis,  two  masons,  and  a water- 
carrier  about  four  days  to  finish  twelve  feet  square  of 
such  a roof  When  finished,  it  endures  the  hottest  sun 
and  the  severest  rains  without  injury. 

To  a European  this  is  very  slow  work,  and  an 
American  lately  arrived,  with  his  hurry  and  push,  would 
prefer  to  drive  the  work  on  in  his  own  way,  but  if  he 
wishes  a good  roof  and  a substantial  building,  to  suit  the 
climate,  he  will  have  to  yield  to  the  skill  of  his  native 
workmen. 

Thousands  of  years  of  experience,  handed  down  from 
father  to  son,  have  given  the  people  of  that  country  a skill 
in  working  with  brick  and  mortar,  that  western  nations 
have  not  yet  acquired.  The  plastered  walls  of  their 
mosques  and  temples,  built  many  centuries  ago,  remain 
like  polished  marble. 

The  floors  of  the  houses  are  made  In  the  same  way 
as  the  roofs,  though  resting  upon  the  earth.  The  win- 
dows are  usually  in  the  doors.  A veranda,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  in  width,  surrounds  the  house,  except  where  it  is 
walled  in  to  make  bath-rooms. 

Such  are  the  houses  of  the  Europeans,  those  of  the 


18 


THE  ORIENT 


natives  being  entirely  diflerent.  Most  of  their  houses  are 
ten  by  twelve  or  fifteen  feet,  very  low,  built  of  sun-dried 
brick,  the  onh'  opening  being  a door,  and  without  a win- 
dow or  chimney.  The  walls  and  floor  are  made  smooth, 
and  smeared  with  a mixtiu’e  of  cow’s  dung  and  clav, 
and  the  roofs  are  made  of  bamboo  poles  thatched  with 
grass.  Such  a house  costs  not  more  than  five  dollars. 

The  houses  of  the  few,  the  richer  class,  are  constructed 
with  kiln-bumed  brick,  very  substantial,  and  often  very 
expensive ; two,  three,  and  four  stories  high,  some  of  them 
palaces  from  outside  appearance,  but  with  such  small 
rooms  and  so  many  verandas  as  to  be  wholly  unsuited  to 
the  tastes  and  comfort  of  a foreigner. 

The  Europeans  generally  close  their  houses  during  the 
hot  season,  from  eight  o’clock  in  the  morning  till  evening, 
to  keep  out  the  heat.  Various  de\fices  are  resorted  to 
for  cooling  the  air  of  the  house  inside.  A punka  is  a 
wooden  frame  about  two  feet  wide,  and  as  long  as  the 
room,  covered  with  muslin,  with  a fHll  of  cloth  a foot  in 
width,  fastened  at  the  lower  edge.  The  punka  is  sus- 
pended by  ropes  from  the  ceiling.  A long  reed  passes 
through  the  door  or  wall,  the  end  within  the  house  at- 
tached to  a rope  fastened  to  either  end  of  the  punka,  the 
end  outside  being  in  the  hand  of*  the  kulf,  who  pulls 
until  his  time  of  rest  comes,  when  another  relieves  him. 
During  the  day  the  punka  is  pulled  in  each  room  where 
there  are  occupants,  and  during  the  night  it  goes  back  and 
forth  just  over  the  face  of  the  sleeper,  except  when  the 
punkawalla  himself  takes  a nap.  Then  horrid  dreams 
and  nightmare  wake  the  perspiring  victim,  and  he  goes 
* for  the  fellow  outside,  bestowing  upon  him  some  caress- 
ing and  encouraging  remarks. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


19 


During  the  dr}''  winds,  for  several  months  a tattie  is 
used.  This  is  a lattice  of  bamboo,  fitting  the  door  out- 
side, and  thinly  thatched  with  the  roots  of  a fragrant 
grass  called  Kuskus,  through  which  the  wind  blows.  A 
large  earthen  vessel  is  placed  on  the  veranda,  close  to  the 
tattie.  One  man  keeps  the  jar  filled  with  water,  and  an- 
other with  a little  cup  throws  water  on  the  tattie.  The 
wind,  going  through  the  wet  grass,  cools  the  house,  some- 
times too  much  for  comfort. 

Occasionally  the  monotony  and  temperature  of  this 
season  is  broken  by  a sand-storm.  The  animals  and 
people  are  quick  to  detect  the  appearance  of  such  a 
storm.  The  natives  cover  up  their  fires,  herd  their 
flocks,  close  their  houses,  and  the  servants  shut  our  doors 
and  light  the  lamps.  Away  in  the  distance,  over  the 
plain,  is  a red  sand  cloud,  rolling  over  and  over  up 
towards  the  meridian.  A rushing  sound  is  heard,  that 
in  a severe  storm  is  terrible.  Soon  the  air  is  filled  with 
sand,  and  a lurid,  unnatural  darkness  prevails,  driven 
away  by  rain  and  hail.  Usually  these  storms  last  for 
an  hour  or  two,  but  sometimes  continue  for  a day  or 
more. 

I once  had  an  experience  of  such  a storm  that  I shall 
always  remember.  I left  home  in  the  morning  to  visit 
one  of  my  schools,  thirteen  miles  distant.  The  day  be- 
fore, I had  sent  a horse  to  be  ready  for  me  at  a village 
half-way,  but  as  usual,  the  native,  concluding  he  could 
\dsit  some  friends  by  going  to  another  village,  left  me  to 
myself.  Not  being  able  to  take  the  tired  horse  with  the 
buggy  any  further,  I sent  it  back,  and  hired  for  twelve 
cents,  a two-wheeled  cart,  drawn  by  a pair  of  Brahmin! 
cattle,  to  take  me  to  the  end  of  my  journey.  After  exam- 


20 


THE  ORIEXT 


ining  the  school,  and  through  the  hospitality  of  the  chief 
of  the  village,  enjopng  an  excellent  dinner,  taking  it  in 
true  native  style,  sitting  cross-legged  on  a mat,  and  get- 
ting the  food  to  m}’  mouth  without  knife,  fork,  or  spoon, 
I set  out  for  home  about  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon. 
The  cart  was  of  the  most  simple  construction,  not  a 
pound  of  iron  in  the  whole  vehicle.  There  were  two 
wheels  and  an  axle;  two  bamboos,  eight  feet  in  length, 
fastened  together  at  one  end,  where  they  were  tied  by  a 
string  to  a stick  resting  on  the  necks  of  the  cattle,  then 
diverging,  the  other  ends  were  tied  upon  the  axle  near 
the  wheels,  and  between  them  for  a bottom,  were  several 
small  bamboos,  tied  with  strings.  The  driver  sat 
between  the  cattle,  a tail  in  either  hand,  which  he 
pinched  and  twisted,  when  not  pricking  the  beasts  with 
his  goad,  while  he  called  them  by  the  endearing  names 
of  son,  brother,  father,  and  at  times  by  other  terms  that 
were  not  so  tender  or  polite.  For  a seat  I had  a native 
bedstead,  charpai,  (four-footed),  the  posts  were  four- 
little  sticks  a foot  in  length,  the  rails  four  slender  bamboos, 
and  the  bottom  made  of  woven  twine. 

We  had  not  gone  far  on  our  return,  before  we  saw  and 
heard  a sand-storm  approaching  in  the  distance,  that  con- 
tinued into  the  night.  Had  I been  in  a place  of  comfort 
and  security,  I might  have  enjoyed  the  grandeur  and 
beauty  of  the  storm,  but  as  it  was,  I looked  upon  it  with 
considerable  disgust  and  annoyance. 

Soon  it  was  upon  us,  filling  our  eyes  with  sand,  almost 
blinding  us,  then  a severe  storm  of  hail,  followed  by  a 
deluge  of  rain.  I had  on  the  thinnest  clothing  I possessed, 
m}’  coat  being  a single  thickness  of  silk.  To  protect 
myself,  I put  my  head  under  my  arm,  and  the  bedstead 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


21 


over  my  back,  but  I might  as  well  have  sat  under  a grid- 
iron or  a fisherman’s  net.  The  almost  naked  driver, 
chilled  so  that  he  could  neither  speak  tenderly  or  harshly 
to  his  pets,  and  his  hands  so  numb  that  he  could  not 
wring  the  beasts  by  their  tails,  was  very  unsociable.  At 
first  our  Brahmim's  left  the  road  and  went  bellowing  at 
a full  gallop  over  the  rough  fields  as  if  mad,  giving  us 
all  we  could  do  to  cling  to  the  thing  on  which  we  rode. 
Mazeppa,  bound  to  the  wild  horse’s  back,  was  not  half 
so  uncomfortable. 

The  brutes  finally  exhausted  their  strength  as  well  as 
our  patience,  and  after  several  hours  beating  the  thick 
darkness,  we  reached  a village;  and  getting  a coarse 
woollen  blanket,  I wrapped  it  around  me,  over  my  wet 
garments,  and  not  waiting  to  think  whom  it  might  have 
previously  covered,  or  what  myriads  of  creeping,  crawl- 
ing things  its  meshes  harbored,  I laid  me  down  to  an 
enjoyable  rest.  The  sun  had  just  risen,  when  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  hut  stood  my  native,  holding  the  horse  by 
the  bridle,  and  bowing  and  salaming  as  blandly  as  if 
all  had  been  serene  and  lovely  since  last  we  met.  My 
good  pony,  as  if  realizing  my  wants,  soon  took  me  to  a 
good  breakfast  at  home. 

With  the  first  rain,  a new  life  commences.  The  trees 
put  on  new  foliage,  the  birds  a gayer  plumage,  the  bare 
ground  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  the  villagers  are  happy 
in  plowing  and  sowing  their  fields,  with  a good  hope  of 
bread  for  another  year.  The  first  rains  are  absorbed 
bv  the  thirsty  earth,  but  the  ground  soon  becomes  sat- 
urated, and  the  surplus  water  fills  the  tanks,  ponds,  and 
dry  beds  of  the  rivers  and  streams.  The  rains,  so  essen- 
tial to  life,  also  bring  death,  for  more  sickness  prevails 


22 


THE  ORIENT 


during  this  season,  than  in  any  other.  The  winds  cease, 
while  the  sun  sends  down  its  fearful  heat,  producing,  at 
times,  a most  uncomfortable  atmosphere.  A steamy 
dampness  pervades  ever^-thing.  The  clothing  has  to  be 
dried  by  chance,  as  the  sun  comes  out,  the  mildew  clean- 
ed from  the  books,  and  all  articles  that  absorb  moistime 
have  to  be  carefully  looked  after. 

The  climate  on  the  mountains,  in  the  hot  season,  and 
on  the  plains,  in  the  cold  season,  is  most  delightful. 
There  is  not  much  difference  between  the  mean  temper- 
ature of  the  coldest  weather  in  India  and  the  hottest 
months  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Chicago.  On 
account  of  the  great  changes  in  the  seasons,  the  temper- 
ature that  is  insufferably  hot  in  the  United  States,  is  very 
agreeable  in  India,  especially  to  foreigners;  the  natives, 
adapted  to  their  countr}’,  enjoy  the  hot  weather,  and 
suffer  from  the  cold  during  their  winter. 

The  houses  of  Europeans,  in  Northern  India,  are  con- 
structed with  fire-places,  and  fires  are  often  built,  and 
enjoyed,  in  the  months  of  December  and  January,  while 
in  the  gardens  are  growing  all  the  vegetables  and  fruits 
that  are  to  be  found  in  the  northern  part  of  the  United 
States. 

India,  with  all  its  magnificent  mountains,  grand  rivers, 
vast  forests,  rich  mines,  and,  for  its  own  people,  most  fa- 
vorable climate,  is,  as  far  as  histor}'  informs  us,  not  any 
more  improved  than  it  was  two  thousand  years  before 
the  Christian  era,  except  what  has  lately  been  done  by 
the  English  government. 

The  implements  for  cultivating  the  soil,  irrigating  the 
fields;  gathering  the  grain,  threshing,  cleaning,  and 
grinding  it;  for  cutting,  sawing,  and  using  the  timber; 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


23 


cleaning,  spinning,  and  weaving  the  cotton,  silk,  and 
wool;  for  mining,  smelting,  and  using  the  ores;  in  fact, 
everything  connected  with  the  industry  of  the  people,  is 
so  simple  as  never  to  have  been  invented ; so  rude  in  con- 
struction, as  not  to  have  been  improved,  since  first 
brought  into  use  thousands  of  years  ago. 

God  gave  them  one  of  the  richest  countries  on  the 
globe,  but  the  people  departed  from  Him  who  is  the 
source  of  all  real,  true  life,  whether  physical,  spiritual, 
political,  social,  or  private,  and  bowing  down  to  gods  of 
their  own  devising,  degraded  and  sensual  as  themselves, 
they  have  grovelled  in  their  own  ways  and  customs; 
and  the  land  that  might  have  been  as  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  has  been  abused  and  cursed  by  its  idolatrous  in- 
habitants, and  they,  of  the  same  origin  as  the  first  nations 
of  the  earth,  are  a race  of  serfs  and  slaves. 

Christianity,  with  its  true  civilization,  enterprise,  char- 
ity, patriotism,  devotion  to  duty,  spirit  of  invention  and 
progress;  its  faith  in  the  life  that  now  is,  and  its  hope  of 
the  life  to  come,  alone  can  redeem  the  land  and  its  people, 
making  the  one  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  and  bear  fruit  as  a 
garden,  and  the  other  to  become  one  of  the  finest  peoples 
in  the  world. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  has  undertaken  the  work, 
and  is  doing  it  grandly  and  well. 


24 


THE  ORIENT 


INDIA— AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 

The  word  Hindustan  is  of  Sanskrit  and  Persian  origin, 
Hindu  the  name  of  a people,  and  stan  the  Persian  word 
for  place ; but  the  derivation  of  the  word  India  has  not 
been  definitel}'  determined.  The  river  Indus  separates 
India  from  Persia  and  the  ancient  world  of  geographical 
and  classical  history,  and  it  would  be  very  natural  that 
early  travelers  from  the  Northwest  should  have  given 
the  name  of  the  river  they  met  to  the  country  beyond  it. 
The  name  India  was  not  known  to  the  natives  until  they 
learned  it  from  foreigners.  They  called  their  country 
Bharatvarsha,  or  Bharatkhund,  the  country  of  Bharat, 
also  Hind  and  Jumbhudwip. 

The  Hindus  affect  to  derive  their  origin  from  the 
moon,  and  one  of  its  names  in  Sanskrit  is  Indu.  It  is  very 
probable  that  the  names  Hind  and  Hindu  were  derived 
from  their  supposed  ancestor.  The  ancient  history  of 
India  is  involved  in  such  obscurity  that  all  attempts  thus 
far  by  the  most  learned  scholars  of  the  world  to  compre- 
hend it,  have  been  baffled.  Sir  William  Jones  says : “The 
dawn  of  true  Indian  history  appears  only  three  or  four 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era,  the  preceding  ages 
being  clouded  bv  allegory  and  fable.”  The  Rev.  Dr. 
W ard  gives  as  his  opinion  that  “a  real  and  accurate  his- 
tory' of  this  countrv,  from  its  commencement  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  with  the  dates  of  events  attached  to  them,  is 
out  of  the  question.” 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


25 


The  Hindu  astronomical  books  base  their  calculations 
on  a Mahayug,  or  great  era  of  4,320,000,000  of  years, 
commencing  at  the  conjunction  of  the  planets,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Hindu  Zodiac.  This  great  age  is  subdi- 
vided into  four  periods,  the  first  called  the  Sutyug,  or 
Golden  Age  of  1,728,000  years  from  the  creation;  the 
second  period  is  the  TreU'ug,  or  Silver  Age  of  1,296,000 
years;  the  third,  Dwapuryug,  or  Brazen  Age  of  864,000 
years;  and  the  fourth,  Kulyug,  the  Iron  or  Dark  Age 
of  432,000  3’ears,  the  latter  commencing  3,102  3'ears 
before  the  Christian  era.  The  Hindus  believe  that  in 
the  first  age  men  were  thirty-seven  feet  in  height,  and 
lived  to  be  100,000  3'ears  old.  It  is  soberly  related,  and 
faithfull}'-  believed,  that  one  of  the  ancient  kings,  named 
Sagur,  had  60,000  sons,  all  born  in  a pumpkin,  nourished 
in  pans  of  milk,  and  all  consumed  and  reduced  to  ashes 
b}’  the  curse  of  one  of  the  Rishis,  or  saints.” 

The  most  that  is  known,  from  native  sources,  of  the 
ancient  history'  of  India,  and  to  which  any  respect  can  be 
paid,  is  that  derived  from  the  four  Veds  and  two  poems, 
the  Ramayana  and  the  Mahabharata.  In  these  books 
no  dates  are  given  to  the  events  described,  nor  are  the 
persons  and  places  referred  to  clearl}"  defined.  There 
are  various  reasons  for  concluding  that  these  books  are 
very  ancient,  and  from  their  subject  matter  some  general 
conclusions  have  been  reached  and  accepted. 

The  Veds  are,  undoubtedh^  the  most  ancient  works 
in  Sanskrit  literature,  and  are  supposed,  b^'  most  schol- 
ars, to  have  been  collected  about  1,500  years  before 
Christ. 

The  Ramayana  is  a very  length}’  poem,  the  name 
signifying  the  adventures  of  Rama,  who  has  been  canon- 


26 


THE  ORIENT 


ized  as  one  of  the  incarnations  of  Vishnu  in  the  Hindu 
religious  system,  and  is  worshipped  as  a deity. 

It  appears  that  Satria  Vartra  was  the  common  ances- 
tor of  two  royal  lines,  the  one  called  Chundras,  from  the 
moon,  the  other  Suriyas,  from  the  sun.  Rama,  under 
his  surname  of  Chandra,  was  the  son  of  Dusarath,  a 
prince  of  the  solar  dynasty  in  Ayodhya,  or  the  Modern 
Oud.  The  poem  gives  an  account  of  his  youth,  his  edu- 
cation and  residence  at  his  father’s  court;  his  inaugura- 
tion as  heir-apparent;  the  intrigues  of  his  mother-in-law, 
that  resulted  in  his  banishment  to  the  forests  of  Central 
India;  the  theft  of  his  wife  Seta,  by  Ravena,  the  giant 
King  of  Lunka  (Ceylon),  the  destruction  of  Ravena,  and 
the  recall  of  the  prince  and  his  elevation  to  the  throne  of 
his  father.  This  is  supposed  to  have  occurred  about 
1,300  years  before  Christ.  Hindu  writers  assign  fifty- 
seven  reigns  between  the  founder  and  accession  of  Rama. 

Mami,  the  founder  of  Ayodhia,  thus  describes  it:  “Its 
streets,  well  arranged,  were  refreshed  with  ceaseless 
streams  of  water;  its  halls,  curiously  ornamented,  re- 
sembled the  checkered  surface  of  a chess-board.  It  was 
filled  with  merchants,  dramatists,  elephants,  horses,  and 
chariots.  The  clouds  of  fragrant  incense  darkened  the 
sun  at  noonday;  but  the  glowing  radiance  of  the  resplend- 
ent diamonds  and  jewels,  that  adorned  the  persons  of  the 
ladies,  relieved  the  gloom.  The  city  was  decorated  with 
precious  stones ; filled  with  riches ; furnished  with  abund- 
ance of  provisions;  adorned  with  magnificent  temples, 
whose  towers,  like  the  gods,  dwelt  in  the  heavens, — 
such  was  their  height ; palaces  whose  lofty  summits  were 
in  perpetual  conflict  with  the  clouds;  baths  and  gardens. 
It  was  inhabited  by  the  twice  born,  the  regenerate, 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


27 


profoundly  instructed  in  the  Veds,  endowed  with  every 
good  quality,  full  of  sincerity,  zeal,  and  compassion.” 

The  Mahabharat,  or  Great  War,  describes  a contest 
between  two  branches  of  the  Lunar  race,  the  Pundus 
and  Kurus,  for  the  possession  of  Hastinapiir,  ancient 
Dilhi.  A great  battle  was  fought,  lasting  eighteen 
days,  in  which  fifty-six  royal  leaders  were  engaged. 
The  Pundus  were  victorious,  and  their  ally,  Krishna,  is 
the  hero  of  the  poem,  who  since  then  has  been  wor- 
shipped as  a god,  the  eighth  incarnation  of  Vishnu. 

Making  all  due  allowance  for  the  Oriental  exaggera- 
tion in  these  two  poems,  it  is  evident  that  the  country,  at 
that  early  day,  was  widely  settled,  and  thickly  popula- 
ted, with  an  abundance  of  wealth,  and  that  the  people 
were  considerably  advanced  in  civilization.  Hemmed  in, 
on  the  North  and  East  by  mountains,  on  the  South  and 
partly  on  the  West  by  the  ocean,  the  only  inlet  for  immi- 
gration was  in  the  Northwest,  and  hence  it  came  from 
Western  Asia,  that  teeming  garden  for  populating  the 
world. 

After  long  interv^als,  there  were  several  immigrations 
into  India,  the  later  crowding  the  earlier  southward,  until 
the  whole  country  was  occupied.  The  people,  of  the 
different  migrations,  religions,  tribes,  castes  and  trades, 
have  always  remained  separate ; and  there  is,  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  as  much  diversity  among  the  people,  and  each 
class  is  as  easily  recognized,  as  it  probably  was  three 
thousand  years  ago.  A traveler  in  India  is  now  seldom 
in  doubt  as  to  the  caste,  trade  or  religion  of  the  person 
whom  he  addresses. 

The  first  immigration  is  supposed  to  have  been  of 
Turanian  origin,  from  the  plateaus  of  Central  Asia,  a 


28 


TEE  ORIENT 


country  known  to  the  ancients  as  Sc}i;hia.  These  people 
are  now  the  aborigines  of  India,  living  a wild,  predatory 
life,  mostl}"  in  the  forests,  in  the  extreme  parts  of  the 
countr}',  and  known  as  Kols,  Bhi'ls,  Gonds,  Mimas, 
Shanars,  Sontals,  Dorns,  etc.  They  number  about  fifteen 
millions,  acknowledging  no  laws  but  the  will  of  their 
local  chief,  and  no  institutions  but  those  of  the  desert.  It 
is  supposed  that  they  came  into  India  soon  after  the  dis- 
persion at  the  tower  of  Babel. 

The  second  was  composed  of  the  Dravidians,  now 
mostly  inhabiting  the  Southern  peninsula,  who  are  con- 
sidered to  have  been  of  the  same  origin  as  those  of  the 
first,  but  to  have  immigrated  some  centuries  later. 

These  have  adopted  many  of  the  customs  of  the  Hin- 
dus, and  incorporated  some  Sanskrit  terms  into  their 
language.  They  number  about  32,000,000.  The  third 
immigration  was  that  of  the  Hindus,  probably  from  the 
plains  of  the  Euphrates,  of  entirely  diflerent  origin  from 
the  two  former,  being  superior  to  them  in  mental  and 
physical  organization,  and  from  their  complexion,  form 
and  features,  belonging  to  the  Aryan,  or  Caucasian  race, 
the  same  as  the  Celts,  who  first  inhabited  the  British 
Isles.  These  are  the  people  whose  exploits  and  aspira- 
tions are  recounted  in  the  Veds,  and  their  two  celebrated 
poems.  They  were  styled  the  fair  complexioned  Ar}'as, 
in  comparison  with  the  darker  aborigines,  whom  they 
found  in  the  countr}",  and  to  whom  they  gave  various 
opprobrious  names  and  epithets. 

This  Aryan  or  Hindu  invasion  is  supposed  to  have 
taken  place  about  the  time  of  the  exodus  of  the  Children 
of  Israel  from  Egypt. 

The  next  scene  in  the  history  of  India,  after  the  great 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


29 


war  described  in  the  Mahabharata,  is  the  appearance  of 
another  band  of  immigrants  from  Scythia,  under  the 
leadership  of  Sheshnag,  and  styled  the  Serpent  Race, 
from  their  having  the  serpent  as  their  national  emblem. 
They  flourished  for  some  ten  generations,  and  from  them 
sprang  Gdtama  Budh,  the  founder  of  Budhism  623  b.  c. 
It  is  supposed  that  most  of  the  fifty-six  tribes  of  the 
Lunar  race  of  Hindus  became  his  followers. 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  Jews  had  any  knowledge  of  India, 
while  it  is  very  probable  that  the  embroidered  work 
and  chests  of  rich  apparel  bound  with  cords,  and  the 
precious  cloths  mentioned  by  the  Jewish  writers,  were 
brought  from  that  country,  and  the  trade  which  made 
the  “merchants  of  Tyre  princes  and  her  traffickers  the 
honorable  of  the  earth”  was  very  likely  with  the  pro- 
ducts from  India. 

The  first  account  of  an  armed  invasion  into  India, 
though  there  is  much  doubt  respecting  it,  is  that  of  Sem- 
iramis,  the  celebrated  queen  of  Assyria,  who  1975  b. 
c.  sent  an  army  as  far  as  the  river  Indus.  She  spent 
three  years  in  making  great  preparations,  sending  to 
Cyprus,  Phoenicia  and  other  maritime  ports,  for  naval 
architects  to  construct  vessels  of  transport.  Three  hun- 
dred thousand  oxen  were  slain  and  their  hides  sewed 
together  in  the  shape  of  elephants,  into  which  men  and 
camels  were  to  be  placed  when  in  battle  with  the  war 
elephants  which  they  expected  to  encounter  in  the  army 
of  India.  A great  army  reached  the  Indus,  when  it  was 
met  by  Stabrobates,  the  Indian  king.  The  Assyrian 
army  succeeded  in  crossing  the  stream,  and  a battle  was 
fought.  The  Indian  army  was  at  first  frightened  at  the 
mock  elephants,  but  learning  their  true  character,  rushed 


30 


THE  ORIENT 


upon  the  Assyrian  army  with  their  thousands  of  might}' 
war  elephants.  The  queen’s  army  was  utterly  routed, 
and  only  one-fourth  of  them  returned  home. 

The  next  account  of  an  attempt  to  explore  and  conquer 
India  on  which  reliance  can  be  placed,  was  made  by 
Darius,  the  Persian,  521  years  b.  c.  He  sent  Scylax,  a 
celebrated  naval  commander,  who  embarked  a fleet  at 
Caspatyrus,  sailed  down  the  Indus,  and  thence  to  Egypt, 
a voyage  of  two  years  and  a half  The  records  of  this 
excursion  were  lost,  and  not  much  is  known  of  the  enter- 
prise except  that  the  part  of  India  conquered  was  made 
one  of  the  twenty  Satrapys  into  which  the  Persian  empire 
was  divided,  and  that  the  tribute  from  it  was  more  val- 
uable than  from  any  other  part  of  the  dominion. 

Alexander  the  Great,  326  years  B.  c.,  haring  con- 
quered Persia,  turned  his  army  towards  India.  Passing 
through  Bactria,  along  the  great  caravan  route,  he 
reached  the  Indus  near  Attock,  where  he  was  joined  by 
Taxiles,  an  Indian  chief,  and  together  they  marched  to 
the  river  Hydaspes  (Jhi'lum)  where  they  were  attacked 
by  Porus,  with  a numerous  army  of  braver  men  than 
any  they  had  yet  encountered.  The  war  elephants  of 
the  Indian  king  did  not  avail  him  against  the  trained 
cavalry  and  infantry  of  the  Macedonian  leader.  His 
whole  army  was  routed  and  himself  taken  prisoner.  He 
was  brought  into  the  presence  of  Alexander,  and  showed 
such  dignity  and  kingly  bearing,  and  when  asked  how 
he  expected  to  be  treated,  his  reply,  “Like  a king,”  so 
won  the  Grecian  monarch  in  his  favor,  that  he  was  left  to 
rule  over  the  country  so  lately  taken  from  him.  The 
conqueror  continued  his  march  to  where  now  stands  the 
city  of  Lahore,  subduing  all  who  opposed  him.  He 


AJ^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


31 


had  heard  of  a great  monarchy  on  the  Ganges,  and 
wished  to  add  it  to  his  conquests,  but  his  army  refused 
to  go  farther,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return.  Arriving 
at  the  Indus,  he  had  two  thousand  boats  constructed  by 
the  Phoenicians  with  him.  With  these  he  sailed  down 
the  river  to  the  Persian  gulf,  where  he  gave  the  com- 
mand of  the  fleet  to  Nearchus,  who,  after  a coasting  voy- 
age of  seven  months,  conducted  it  up  the  Euphrates, 
while  the  Emperor  with  his  army  passed  through 
Beliichistan  to  Babylon,  which  he  made  his  capital. 
After  the  death  of  Alexander,  Seleucus,  one  of  his  gen- 
I erals,  receiving  Syria  as  his  share  of  the  empire,  claimed 
I ' also  India,  and  made  several  excursions  thither,  and  also 
sent  Megasthenes,  an  officer  who  had  accompanied  Alex- 
ander to  India,  on  an  embassy  to  King  Sandracottus,  as 
he  was  called  by  the  Greeks,  Chandragupta  by  the  Hin- 
dus, at  Palibothra,  the  present  Patna,  on  the  Ganges. 

Megasthenes  was  a Munchausen  traveler,  and  tickled 
the  ears  of  his  friends  at  home  “with  fabulous  tales  of 
men  with  ears  so  large  that  they  could  wrap  themselves 
up  in  them,  of  others  with  a single  eye,  without  mouths, 
without  noses,  with  long  feet,  and  toes  turned  back- 
wards ; of  people  only  three  spans  in  height,  of  wild  men 
with  heads  in  the  shape  of  a wedge,  of  ants  as  large  as 
foxes  that  dug  up  gold,  and  many  other  things  no  less 
wonderful.” 

The  city  of  Palibothra  is  described  by  several  histo- 
rians as  being  ten  miles  in  length,  two  in  breadth,  sur- 
rounded by  a wall  with  574  towers,  and  entered  by  64 
gates.  The  king  had  an  army  of  400,000  men, 
including  20,000  cavalry  and  2,000  chariots. 

The  Grecian  historians  mention  the  great  number  of 


32 


THE  ORIENT 


the  cities,  describe  the  religion,  the  civilization,  wealth 
and  population,  the  peculiar  manners  and  customs,  so 
definitely  as  to  confirm  all  that  the  Hindu  writers  say  on 
these  subjects,  and  also  show  to  us  that  there  has  been 
no  apparent  progress  or  improvement  of  the  people  of 
India  by  their  own  efforts  since  at  least  three  centuries 
before  Christ.  Though  of  the  same  race  as  the  leading 
nations  of  the  world,  yet  twenty  centuries  have  done 
nothing  for  them. 

The  era  created  by  the  appearance  of  Muhammed  in 
the  seventh  centur}',  was  eventfiil  to  the  world,  and 
especially  to  India.  His  career,  dating  from  the  Hijra 
or  ffight  from  Medina  in  A.  d.  622,  has  influenced  his_ 
followers  until  the  present  time,  when  they  number 
nearly  one-third  of  the  world’s  population. 

The  ambition  and  rapacit}'  of  Muhammed  led  to  great 
conquests,  and  the  Muslims  rapidly  overspread  Persia, 
Svria,  Egypt,  and  the  adjacent  countries.  The  reports 
of  the  wealth  of  India,  the  beauty  of  its  women,  and  the 
idolatr}'  of  its  people,  excited  the  avarice,  the  passion, 
religious  zeal  and  ambition  of  the  Mussulmans,  and 
they  turned  their  attention  to  that  country. 

Several  incursions  were  made  without  much  success. 
In  the  reign  of  Khalipha  Walid,  71 1,  an  army  of  6,000 
men  was  sent  from  Bagdad,  under  Muhammed  Kausim, 
a handsome  youth  seventeen  years  of  age,  whom  the 
astrologers  predicted  would  be  victorious.  This  army 
landed  at  Debal,  the  modern  Kurachi,  and  meeting 
resistance  from  the  inhabitants,  they  put  the  men  to 
death,  and  made  slaves  of  the  women  and  children. 
Passing  up  the  Indus,  they  were  opposed  at  Hyderabad 
by  a vast  army  commanded  by  a Rajah,  but  notwith- 


ITS  PEOPLE. 


33 


Standing  the  great  disparity  in  numbers,  the  Hindu  army 
was  utterly  routed.  “The  city  held  out  under  one  of  the 
widowed  queens  till  the  provisions  were  exhausted;  and 
then  ensued  one  of  those  scenes  of  unavailing  courage 
and  despair  which  not  unfrequently  illustrate  the  pages 
of  Hindu  history.  The  women  and  children  were  first 
sacrificed  in  flames  of  their  own  kindling;  the  men  per- 
formed their  ablutions,  and  with  solemn  ceremonies  took 
leave  of  one  another  and  of  the  world.  Then,  throwing 
open  the  gates,  they  rushed  out,  sword  in  hand,  and 
hurling  themselves  on  the  weapons  of  the  enemy,  per- 
ished to  a man.” 

The  next  invader  was  Subaktagi,  who  defeated  the 
Rajah  of  Lahore  and  annexed  the  province  of  the  Punjab 
to  the  Aflghan  dominions.  He  was  formerly  a Turkish 
slave,  but  became  governor  of  Kandahar,  and  soon  after, 
the  emperor  of  Persia.  At  the  death  of  Subaktagi  in 
997,  his  son  Mahmud  became  governor,  and  throwing 
oft' his  allegiance  to  Persia,  aimed  not  only  to  be  a great 
conqueror,  but  an  apostle  of  his  religion.  He  is  known 
in  history  as  Mahmud  ot  Ghuzni,  this  city  being  the  cap- 
ital of  the  province  of  Kandahar.  No  other  invader  cf 
India  was  so  terrible.  During  a reign  of  thirty-five 
years  he  made  twelve  expeditions  into  that  countrjq 
storming  the  forts,  burning  cities,  dethroning  princes, 
with  fire  and  sword  slaying  the  men,  and  making  cap- 
tives of  the  women  and  children.  His  last  expedition 
was  against  the  famous  temple  of  Somnat,  when  fifty 
thousand  worshippers  were  slain  by  the  spears  of  the 
Mosli'm.  Histor}'  states  that  the  Brahmins  oft'ered  sev- 
eral millions  sterling  if  he  would  spare  the  idol,  but  the 
Sultan  scorned  the  oft'er,  declaring  that  posterity  should 


34 


THE  OllIEET 


never  look  upon  Mahmud  as  a merchant  of  idols.  This 
prince  was  a lover  of  learning,  and  established  a uni- 
versity in  his  capital,  filled  with  books  and  curiosities, 
and  also  erected  many  magnificent  buildings  with  the 
wealth  obtained  from  India.  He  died  in  1030,  praised 
by  the  Muhammedans  as  a model  prince,  and  considered 
by  the  Hindus  as  an  incarnation  of  injustice  and  cruelty. 

During  the  twelfth  century  Lahore  became  the  capi- 
tal in  the  place  of  Ghazni.  Province  after  province  was 
annexed  until  nearly  the  whole  of  Hindustan  was  subject 
to  the  military  rule  of  the  Afghan  power.  Their  success 
is  not  surprising.  The  Hindus  by  their  peculiar  habits 
of  life  were  not  prepared  to  meet  the  hardy  barbarians 
of  the  north,  and  by  their  religion  were  not  disposed  to 
contend  with  a people  who  were  born  for  war,  and 
whose  religion  was  to  be  extended  with  the  sword. 
With  the  progress  of  the  empire  the  capital  was  again 
changed,  this  time  from  Lahore  to  Dilhi,  and  in  1206 
Kuttub,  the  founder  of  the  Patan  d}’nasty,  assumed  the 
royal  title.  This  ruler  had  been  a Turkish  slave,  and 
one  of  his  successors  was  a woman,  the  Sultana  Rezia, 
of  whom  Ferishta,  a Muhammedan  historian,  says: 
“The  strictest  scrutiny  could  find  no  fault  in  her,  but 
that  she  was  a woman.” 

At  the  commencement  of  this  dynasty,  a spiral  col- 
umn, two  hundred  and  thirt}’-eight  feet  in  height,  called 
the  Kuttub  Mi'nar,  was  erected,  which  is  still  standing, 
eleven  miles  from  the  modern  city  of  Dilhi.  This  was 
built  to  commemorate  the  beginning  of  an  empire;  it  is 
now  the  monument  of  fallen  greatness  and  departed 
glor^•.  Ruler  after  ruler  passed  awa}3  frequently  by 
assassination,  few  of  them  dying  a natural  death.  The 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


35 


government  was  an  absolute  despotism.  The  life,  prop- 
erty and  honor  of  the  subject  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
despot,  and  vet  the  danger  to  those  in  power  was  not  so 
much  from  their  subjects  as  from  rivals  for  the  sover- 
eignt}’.  Many  of  these  sprang  up,  and  not  succeeding  in 
overthrowing  the  reigning  sovereign,  they  set  up  thrones 
of  their  own  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Hordes 
of  Affghans,  Arabs,  Turks,  and  other  Tartars  in  quest 
of  spoil,  joined  the  armies  of  these  various  kings. 

Soon  after  another  power  appeared,  coming,  like  all  its 
predecessors,  from  the  Northwest.  The  different  Mogul 
tribes  of  the  Scythian  desert  uniting  under  Zenghis 
Khan,  suddenly  changing  from  shepherds  into  warriors, 
an  army  of  700,000,  laid  waste  the  country  for  hundreds 
of  miles,  and  took  possession  of  the  country  to  the  west 
of  the  Indus. 

Here  they  became  Muhammedans,  and  looked  with 
eager  eyes  to  the  conquest  of  India.  Among  them  was 
Timur  Beg  or  Tamerlane,  in  early  life  an  outlaw  of  the 
desert,  who  led  a vast  army  into  India  in  1398.  He  went 
for  plunder  rather  than  conquest.  “His  track  was  fol- 
lowed by  blood,  desolation,  famine  and  pestilence.”  The 
“fire-brand  of  the  universe,”  he  gave  an  order  by  which 
one  hundred  thousand  prisoners  were  massacred  in  cold 
blood  in  a single  hour.  He  regarded  neither  race  nor 
condition,  despoiling  and  destroying  alike  the  Islami's 
and  the  Hindus;  celebrating  his  successes  by  days  of 
festivity,  and  like  a true  Mussulman  he  offered  up  praises 
in  the  mosques  for  his  bloody  victories.  Only  five  short 
months  he  remained  in  India,  but  during  that  time  he 
made  a record  ot  blood  that  shall  never  be  effaced  while 
history  is  read. 


THE  ORIENT 


36 

In  1494  Baber  (or  the  Tiger)  of  Samarcand,  on  the 
edge  of  the  Scythian  desert,  a lineal  descendant  of 
Timur  Beg,  came  to  Kabul,  and  then  as  an  invader  and 
conqueror  to  India.  Shortly  after  him  arose  Akbar,  a 
native  of  India,  a scholar  and  philosopher,  very  liberal 
in  his  religion,  for  he  worshipped  the  sun  with  the 
Brahman,  repeated  the  namaz  in  the  mosques,  and  dis- 
coursed with  the  Christian  on  spiritual  and  eternal  life. 
He  sent  to  Goa  for  Roman  Catholic  missionaries,  the 
first  who  had  ever  appeared  at  the  Muhammedan  court, 
and  was  delighted  with  a portrait  of  the  V^irgin  MarA', 
declaring  their  chapel,  ornamented  with  trappings  bor- 
rozved  from  the  Hindus,  to  be  a striking  proof  of  the 
divinity  of  their  religion,  and  proposed  to  test  the  two 
religions  by  having  a malvi  and  a friar  leap  into  a fur- 
nace, each  with  his  own  Scripture  in  his  hand.  The 
grandson  of  Akbar  was  Shah  Jehan,  who  built  Shah 
Jehanabad,  or  the  present  Dilhf,  and  adorned  it  with 
aqueducts,  mosques,  and  a palace,  the  latter  described  by 
Bishop  Heber  as  surpassing  the  Kremlin,  and  inferior 
only  to  Windsor  Castle.  He  also  erected  the  famous 
tomb,  the  Taj  Mahal,  for  his  queen,  Miimtazi  Mahal. 

Of  the  four  sons  of  Shahjehan,  Aurungzeb,  by  treach- 
ery succeeded  him.  He  soon  disposed  of  all  his  rivals 
by  putting  them  to  death  or  confining  them  in  the  fortress 
of  Gwalior,  where  they  were  allowed  no  drink,  but  a 
decoction  of  opium,  called  ponsta,  which  acted  as  a slow 
poison.  This  emperor  commenced  his  reign  one  month 
after  the  death  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 

The  following  is  a sketch  of  his  character: 

“He  was  a man  of  a mild  temper  and  cold  heart;  cau- 
tious, artful,  and  designing;  a perfect  master  of  dissimu- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


37 


lation;  acute  and  sagacious,  though  not  extended  in  his 
views ; and  ever  on  the  watch  to  gain  friends,  and  to  pro- 
pitiate enemies.  To  these  less  brilliant  qualities  he  joined 
great  courage  and  skill  in  military  exercises,  a hand- 
some, though  not  athletic,  form,  affable  and  gracious 
manners,  and  lively  and  agreeable  conversation.  He 
was  so  great  a dissembler  in  other  matters,  that  he  has 
been  supposed  to  have  been  a hypocrite  in  religion. 
But  although  religion  was  a great  instrument  of  his  pol- 
icy, he  was  beyond  all  doubt  a sincere  and  bigoted  Mus- 
sulman. He  had  been  brought  up  by  men  of  known 
sanctit}’,  and  had  himself  shown  an  early  turn  for  devo- 
tion ; he  at  one  time  professed  the  intention  of  renouncing 
the  world  and  taking  the  habit  of  a Fakir;  and  through- 
out his  whole  life  he  evinced  a real  attachment  to  his 
faith  in  many  things  indifferent  to  his  interest,  and  in 
some  most  seriously  opposed  to  it.  His  zeal  was  shown 
in  his  prayers,  and  reading  the  Koran,  in  pious  discourses, 
in  abstemiousness  (which  he  affected  to  carry  so  far  as 
to  subsist  on  the  earnings  of  his  manual  labor),  in  humil- 
itv  of  deportment,  patience  under  provocation,  and  resig- 
nation in  misfortunes;  but  above  all,  in  earnest  and  con- 
stant endeavors  to  promote  his  own  faith,  and  to  discour- 
age idolatry  and  infidelity.  But  neither  religion  nor 
morality  stood  for  a moment  in  his  way  when  they 
interfered  with  his  ambition,  and  though  full  of  scruples 
at  other  times,  he  would  stick  at  no  crime  that  was  requi- 
site for  the  gratification  of  that  passion.” 

When  near  death,  he  wrote  a letter  to  one  of  his  sons, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract: 

“Wherever  I look  I see  nothing  but  the  Deity.  I know 
nothing  of  myself,  what  I am,  and  to  what  I am  des- 


38 


THE  ORIENT 


tined.  The  instant  which  passed  in  power  has  left  only 
sorrow  behind  it.  I have  not  been  the  guardian  and 
protector  of  the  empire.  My  valuable  time  has  passed 
vainly.  I had  a patron  in  my  own  dwelling  (conscience), 
but  his  glorious  light  was  unseen  by  my  dim  sight.  I 
brought  nothing  into  this 'world,  and,  except  the  infirmi- 
ties of  man,  carry  nothing  out.  I have  a dread  for  my 
salvation,  and  with  what  torments  I may  be  punished. 
Though  I have  strong  reliance  on  the  mercies  and 
bounty  of  God,  yet  regarding  my  actions,  fear  will  not 
quit  me;  but  when  I am  gone  reflection  will  not  remaio. 
My  back  is  bent  with  weakness,  and  my  feet  have  lost 
the  powers  of  motion.  The  breath  which  rose  is  gone 
and  left  not  even  hope  behind  it.  I have  committed 
numerous  crimes,  and  know  not  with  what  punishments 
I may  be  seized.  The  guardianship  of  a people  is  the 
trust  by  God  committed  to  m}'  sons.  I resign  }'ou,  your 
mother  and  our  son  to  God,  and  I mvself  am  going.  The 
agonies  of  death  come  upon  me  fast.  Odipore,  your 
mother,  was  a partner  in  my  illness,  and  wishes  to  accom- 
panv  me  in  death ; but  everything  has  its  appointed  time. 
I am  going.  Whatever  good  or  evil  I have  done  it  was 
for  you.  No  one  has  seen  the  departing  of  his  own  soul, 
but  I see  that  mine  is  departing.” 

During  the  reign  of  Aurungzeb  several  formidable 
enemies  appeared.  The  Sikhs,  a sect  founded  b}^  a 
Hindu  of  the  Kshettria  or  warrior  caste,  named  Nanuk, 
from  their  mountain  retreats  ravaged  the  northwest  part 
of  India,  and  their  descendants  now  occupy  the  greater 
part  of  the  Punjab. 

There  also  arose  in  the  territory"  traversed  by  the 
Ghats  and  Vyndia  Mountains,  the  Mahrattas,  founded  by 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


39 


Sevaji',  who  commenced  as  a warrior  and  robber,  attract- 
ing to  his  standard  crowds  of  adventurers  eager  for  plun- 
der, and  ready  to  follow  such  a bold  and  daring  leader. 
The  Mahrattas  did  much  to  overthrow  the  Mogul  power 
in  India,  and  increased  so  rapidly  that  they  now  number 
many  millions  in  the  provinces  of  Bombay,  Gwalior  and 
N agpur. 

The  Aftghans  inhabit  the  mountainous  region  between 
Persia  and  India.  In  a war  with  Persia  they  defeated 
the  troops,  destroyed  the  capital,  Ispahan,  and  put  to 
death  all  the  royal  family  except  one  son,  Thamas,  who 
sought  refuge  among  the  pastoral  tribes  of  the  elevated 
plains  of  that  country.  Of  these  warlike  shepherds  a 
number  joined  him,  among  whom  was  a young  chief 
named  Nadir.  The  latter  soon  so  distinguished  himself  by 
his  zeal  and  ability,'  that  he  won  the  hearts  of  the  troops 
from  his  chief,  and  became  the  ruler  of  Persia.  Not 
content  with  this,  he  subdued  the  Adghans  and  turned 
his  attention  to  India.  The  greatest  warrior  Persia 
ever  produced,  “the  boast,  the  terror  and  the  execration 
of  his  country,”  he  “slaughtered  the  inhabitants  of  Dilhi 
without  regard  to  age  or  sex — captured  Oud — seized 
upon  the  imperial  treasures,  $15,000,000  in  specie, 
$5,000,000  in  plate,  $75,000,000  in  jewels — the  renowned 
peacock  throne,  valued  at  $5,000,000,  and  other  valua- 
bles, to  the  amount  of  $60,000,000,  besides  elephants, 
horses  and  camp  equipage  of  the  deposed  emperor.  In 
a final  treaty,  he  obtained  the  famous  Kohimir  diamond 
by  trading  turbans  with  the  emperor,  and  departed  from 
the  country,  leaving  Muhammed,  the  son  of  Aurungzeb, 
the  emperor  still  upon  the  throne,  but  so  despoiled  and 
disgraced  as  to  lose  the  respect  of  his  subjects.  Eight 


4: 


TUE  oniEyz 


years  after  leaving  India,  Xadir  Shah  was  assassinated, 
and  Ahmed  Shah,  one  of  his  officers,  became  his  suc- 
cessor, who  in  1756  repeated  in  India  nearly  all  the  hor- 
rors of  Xadir  Shah’s  invasion.  This  was  the  end  of  the 
iNIdgul  power. 

For  nearly  eight  hundred  years  had  the  Muhamme- 
dan  attempts  to  subjugate  India  been  continued.  “Blood 
had  flowed  enough  to  steep  the  British  isles  in  one  crim- 
son sea,”  and  cruelty  exercised  sufficient  to  ruin  a 
world.  During  aU  these  centuries  the  civilization  of  India 
stood  still,  while  these  hordes,  led  by  avarice,  lust,  and 
ambition,  devastated  one  of  the  finest  countries  of  the 
earth,  murdered  by  millions  and  tens  of  millions  its  dense 
population,  and  destroyed  wealth,  treasure  and  magnifi- 
cence that  was  then  unrivalled  in  all  the  courts  of 
Europe,  and  bequeathing  to  their  successors  and  the 
people  they  conquered,  treachery,  licentiousness,  ignor- 
ance, barbarity,  poverty,  and  aU  the  e\*ils  that  could  pos- 
sibly pertain  to  fallen  humanity. 

A few  large  cities,  a few  fine  mosques,  and  a few 
grand  tombs,  built  by  oppression,  with  the  unrewarded 
labor  of  the  already  impoverished  inhabitants,  and  a 
people  utterlv  crushed  and  subdued,  abject  slaves  to 
those  above  them,  without  patriotism,  benevolence,  chas- 
titv,  spirit  of  invention  or  improvement,  is  all  that  is 
left  to  show  for  eight  centuries  of  a religion  that  some 
would  claim  to  be  equal  to  Christianity. 

The  fourteenth  century  was  a new  era  for  India  and 
the  world.  In  1492  America  was  discovered,  and  six 
years  later  Vasco  de  Gama  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  landed  at  Calicut,  on  the  southwestern  coast 
of  India.  Other  expeditions  were  fitted  out,  and  trading 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


41 


posts  established  at  a number  of  places  on  the  coast. 
Numerous  battles  were  fought  with  the  natives,  and  cru- 
elties practiced  that  disgraced  the  Christian  name.  Goa 
was  captured  in  1510,  “and  not  one  Moor  was  left  alive  on 
the  island.”  This  place  was  made  the  capital  of  the 
Portuguese  possessions  in  India.  An  archbishop  for  Goa 
was  soon  sent  out,  and  with  him  a band  of  priests,  to  use 
the  inquisition  as  an  engine  for  the  suppression  of  Jews 
and  heretics,  and  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  By 
their  own  historians,  they  outdeviled  the  devdl-worship- 
pers  and  the  idolatrous  Pagans,  in  the  barbarities  and 
abominable  cruelties  they  practiced  on  the  people  in  the 
name  of  ChristianiU".  Though  the  first  to  occupy  alone 
over  twelve  hundred  miles  of  sea-coast,  with  over  thirty 
trading  stations,  the  Portuguese  soon  deservedly  lost 
their  trade,  power  and  influence.  In  1596  Houtman,  a 
Dutch  navigator,  sailed  for  India,  in  command  of  four 
ships,  laden  with  merchandise.  This  was  the  commence- 
ment of  the  trade  of  that  country  with  the  East,  which 
has  since  continued. 

A report  of  these  expeditions,  and  a display  in  the 
market  of  London  of  the  rich  productions  of  that  far-oft' 
country,  incited  the  English  merchants,  and  in  1600  a 
trading  company  was  formed,  with  an  exclusive  charter 
from  Queen  Elizabeth,  known  as  the  “East  India  Com- 
pany.” They  first  established  a factory  or  trading 
post  at  Surat.  In  1639  they  acquired  Madras,  in  1664 
Bombay,  in  1694  Calcutta.  Though  but  a trading  com- 
pany, they  were  obliged  to  obtain  lands  for  their  facto- 
ries and  residences,  and  having  large  amounts  of  treas- 
ure and  valuable  goods,  among  a nation  of  robbers  and 
thieves,  were  obliged  to  protect  them  with  soldiers.  Con- 


42 


THE  ORIENT 


flicts  often  occurred,  resulting  in  still  further  acquisition 
by  the  English. 

Fifty  years  after  Calcutta  had  been  occupied,  an  event 
occurred  which  has  become  notorious  throughout  the 
world.  Through  the  treachery  of  Suraj  udDowlah,  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  English  officers  and  soldiers  were 
confined  for  one  night  in  the  Black  Hole,  a room  eighteen 
feet  square,  and  lighted  by  only  two  small  windows.  In 
the  morning,  out  of  all  this  number,  only  twenty-three 
were  alive.  To  avenge  this  barbarous  cruelty,  an  e.xpe- 
dition  was  fitted  out  under  Clive,  then  Governor  of  Fort 
St.  David,  formerly  a writer  in  the  Compan^^’s  service,  and 
on  June  23,  1857,  the  battle  of  Plassey  was  fought,  which 
inaugurated  the  British  Empire  of  India.  From  a trading 
company  it  soon  became  a government,  to  acquire  by 
degrees  dominion  over  the  whole  of  India.  The  Com- 
pany existed  until  the  Sepoy  rebellion  of  1857,  when  the 
charter  was  revoked  and  India  became  one  of  the  colo- 
nies of  the  crown  of  Great  Britain. 

What  the  Kohiniir  is  in  the  crown  of  her  queen,  such 
is  India  among  the  possessions  of  England. 

Says  a historian,  “Whatever  city  or  nation  has,  in  the 
lapse  of  the  past  ages,  held  in  its  hand  the  keys  of  the 
Indian  commerce  and  influence,  that  city  or  place  has,  for 
the  time,  stood  forth  in  the  van  of  the  civilized  world,  as 
the  richest  and  most  flourishing.” 

It  is  a rich  possession  for  England,  and  well  may  she 
enjoy  it,  and  it  is  well  for  the  two  hundred  and  forty 
millions  of  the  people  of  India,  that  after  the  dark  night 
of  several  thousand  }'ears  of  cruelty  and  oppression,  the 
morning  light  is  breaking,  and  they  enjoy  such  a gov- 
ernment as  Christian  England  gives  them. 


AiYD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


4a 


THE  WOMEN  OF  INDIA. 

To  the  reader  of  Moore’s  “Lalla  Rookh,”  with  its 
pictures  of  sunny  skies,  of  fair  maidens,  true  lovers,  gor- 
geous scenery  and  beautiiul  imagery,  the  lot  of  the 
Women  of  India  seems  not  so  very  hard.  Represented 
as  reclining  on  rich  cushions  or  cool  mats,  they  are 
fanned  and  waited  upon  by  slaves;  in  lofty  apartments, 
whose  marble  walls  are  inwrought  with  gold,  silver, 
jewels,  and  lace-like  carvings.  True,  Nurmahal,  her 
fair  companions  and  her  duskier  sisters,  may  have  been 
somewhat  secluded,  but  then,  they  had  jewels,  plates  of 
pearls,  cloths  of  gold,  richest  silks,  and  the  most  wor- 
shipful of  lovers,  and  were,  no  doubt,  very  happy  in  their 
way.  Moore  looked  through  one  end  of  the  kaleido- 
scope, and  saw  an  ever-varying  panorama  of  beautifully 
blended  colors  and  changing  forms.  We  will  look  into 
the  other  end  and  see — the  reality. 

In  regard  to  the  personal  liberty  of  the  women  of 
India,  it  is  not  possible  to  speak  of  them  en  masse,  as  the 
lives  of  women  of  different  castes  are  so  entirely  unlike. 
In  this  respect,  they  may  be  divided  into  three  great 
classes:  first,  the  poor,  low  caste,  laboring  women;  sec- 
ond, the  women  of  the  middle  classes,  and  lastly,  the 
women  of  wealth,  or  high  caste. 

The  first  class  comprises  the  wives  of  coolies  and  the 
poorer  land  cultivators,  who  go  out  and  in  as  they 
choose.  Many  of  them  follow  out-door  occupations ; as 


44 


TEE  ORIENT 


gathering  in  the  harvest,  tending  sheep,  carrying  light 
burdens,  preparing  and  selling  fuel,  and  similar  occupa- 
tions. When  a piece  of  ground  is  to  be  levelled,  or 
when  it  is  necessary  to  convey  earth  from  one  place  to 
another,  women  are  usuall}'  emploved,  as  they  work 
more  cheaply  than  men.  They  will  carr}'  dirt  all  day,  in 
baskets  on  their  heads,  for  three  cents.  One  of  the  first 
strange  sights,  which  attracted  my  attention  when  we 
landed  at  Madras,  was  a long  procession  of  women,  chil- 
dren and  men,  carrying  earth  in  baskets  on  their  heads, 
for  the  levelling  of  a new  park.  Many  of  the  women 
carried  their  babes  astride  their  hips,  supporting  the 
child’s  back  with  one  arm,  and  steadying  the  basket  on 
the  head  with  the  other  hand. 

To  say  preparing  and  selling  fuel,  does  not,  in  the  least 
degree,  convey  to  an  American  the  actual  fact.  To  be 
more  definite.  Every  morning  numbers  of  women  may 
be  seen  along  the  roads,  in  the  fields,  gathering  all  the 
manure  they  can  find.  If  a woman  is  the  happv  pos- 
sessor of  a donkey  or  two,  the  donkeys  carry  the 
load;  if  not,  the  woman  carries  the  manure  in  a round 
shallow  basket  on  her  head.  When  she  reaches  home, 
she  works  the  mass  well  over  with  her  hands,  making  it 
into  cakes,  such  as  she  can  easily  grasp  with  her  hand, 
and  with  one  sharp  pat,  sticks  them  one  by  one  on  the 
side  of  her  house,  leaving  the  prints  of  her  fingers  on  each 
cake.  In  a few  days,  the  sun  and  heat  have  dried  the 
cakes,  and  then  the  woman  stacks  them  up  for  sale  or 
home  consumption.  For  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds 
of  this  fuel,  which  has  cost  a month’s  hard  work,  they 
realize  the  sum  of  fifty  cents  ! 

When  a family  moves^  the  man  goes  ahead,  carrying 


A2^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


45 


only  his  cane,  or  leading  his  eldest  boy.  The  wife  fol- 
lows with  the  household  goods  on  her  head,  her  baby  on 
her  hip,  and  leading  the  girl,  if  there  is  one. 

These  women  never  learn  a trade;  their  manner  is 
always  modest;  they  rarely  expose  their  faces  to  stran- 
gers; they  never  stand  in  a crowd;  if  they  have  any 
business  in  the  crowded  bazars  they  accomplish  it;  and 
seldom  stop  to  look  at  or  listen  to  anj-thing.  When  mis- 
sionaries preach  in  the  city  bazars,  or  in  the  villages, 
these  women  never  stop  in  the  crowd  to  listen.  If  they 
can  get  some  good  position,  behind  a wall  or  screen,  and 
are  not  too  busy,  they  sometimes  hear  a little.  The  men 
upon  the  street  never  stare  at  a woman.  They  would 
pass  their  nearest  female  relatives  without  a sign  that 
they  knew  them. 

The  second  class,  or  the  wives  of  small  tradespeople, 
venture  out  of  their  own  court-yards  at  those  hours  of  the 
day  when  they  know  the  men  to  be  away  at  their  busi- 
ness, and  visit  some  friend  or  relative,  who  may  happen 
to  live  in  a neighboring  lane.  In  riding  rapidly  through 
a village,  we  have  often  surprised  little  companies  of 
these  women.  With  a smothered  cry  of  ‘•‘■Farmghiy 
Faringhi," — (English,  English,) — they  would  run  like 
scared  rabbits  for  some  hiding  place.  If  there  was  no 
lane  at  hand  into  which  they  could  turn,  they  would 
stand  with  their  faces  hidden  in  a corner  of  the  wall, 
completely  covered  with  their  long  cotton  veils. 

Thousands  and  thousands  of  these  women,  though 
they  may  live  within  half  a mile  of  green  fields,  and  rare 
gardens  of  unceasing  bloom  and  beauty,  for  months  and 
years  do  not  see  more  than  an  occasional  tree  in  a court 
yard,  and  perhaps  a few  marigold  and  jasmine  plants^ 


46 


THE  ORIENT 


the  flowers  of  which  are  much  used  in  idol  worship. 
Women  of  this  class,  who  live  near  the  Ganges,  or  some 
other  sacred  river,  are  allowed,  on  one  morning  in  the 
latter  part  of  June,  to  go  and  bathe  in  the  river,  as  they 
believe,  for  the  washing  away  of  sin.  Some  of  them  go 
in  small  covered  vehicles  to  the  great  religious  fairs,  held 
on  the  Oanges  in  the  fall. 

The  third  class,  or  the  women  of  the  higher  castes  and 
wealthier  classes,  are  kept  in  still  greater  seclusion. 
Occasional  religious  ceremonies,  a marriage,  or  a death 
in  a family,  are  the  onl}'  breaks  to  the  monoton}'  of  the 
lives  of  thousands  of  Hindu  women.  They  never  go 
out  of  their  houses,  except  to  visit  their  friends  upon 
some  such  great  occasion ; then  they  are  usually  carried 
in  closely  covered  and  guarded  palanquins,  or  native 
wagons.  The  journey  is  generally  made  at  night.  If 
it  becomes  necessary  for  these  women  to  give  evidence 
in  court,  they  do  so  from  behind  a screen.  If  they  are 
very  sick,  they  sometimes  consent  to  show  the  doctor  the 
state  of  the  tongue,  through  a small  rent  in  a curtain. 
A Muhammedan  widow  woman  was  suflering  from 
cancer.  Her  son,  who  had  been  educated  in  English 
schools,  used  everv  persuasion  in  his  power,  to  induce 
her  to  see  an  English  doctor.  She  would  not  yield  to 
his  entreaty,  and  would  onlv  consent  that  a string  should 
be  tied  around  her  wrist,  slipped  through  a curtain,  out- 
side of  which  the  doctor  might  judge  of  her  pulse  and 
health  by  the  string. 

A woman  of  high  caste,  whose  husband  is  poor,  and 
cannot  aflbrd  to  hire  a proper  conveyance  for  her,  will 
never  leave  her  husband’s  house.  It  a family  is  rich,  the 
husband  may  own  great  houses,  beautiful  gardens,  fine 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


47 


fields,  houses,  elephants  and  bullocks.  His  wife  may 
never  see  anything  of  them  outsiae  of  her  own  precincts, 
more  than  the  glimpse  she  may  get  of  them,  as  she 
steals  a look  through  some  rent  in  the  covering  of  her 
conveyance,  when  starting  upon  a journey. 

In  the  story  of  the  “Private  Life  of  an  Eastern  King,” 
the  father  of  the  ex-king  of  Oud,  written  by  a Euro- 
pean, who  was  a member  of  the  king’s  household,  it  is 
said  that  a flower  was  shown  to  a woman  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  royal  family.  On  seeing  the  flower, 
she  exclaimed,  “If  one  flower  is  so  beautiful,  what  must 
all  the  world  be  !”  Her  master,  the  king,  had  several 
beautiful  gardens  of  great  extent.  One  of  them,  Kaiser 
Bagh,  or  Cmsar’s  Garden,  was  one  of  the  finest  in  India. 
It  is  not  probable  that  any  of  his  wives  ever  walked  in 
its  shade,  saw  its  beautiful  statuary,  breathed  in  its  sweet 
fragrance,  or  listened  to  the  plash  of  its  fountains.  A 
missionary  who  had  spent  many  years  in  India,  said  that 
he  knew  of  women  who  had  not  been  outside  of  their 
houses  for  fifty  years. 

A few  of  the  native  queens  and  princesses  have,  in 
times  of  war  and  great  necessity,  appeared  in  public,  and 
greatly  distinguished  themselves.  In  the  light  of  his- 
tory, we  see  their  bravery  and  noble  actions,  but  they 
felt  the  smart  of  sneers  and  petty  insult  for  their 
unwomanly  conduct. 

Take  a closer  look  at  the  homes  of  Hindustani  women. 
A European  lady  may  imagine  herself  entering  the 
women’s  part  of  an  average  native  house.  Gentlemen 
must  remain  outside  with  the  men  of  the  family ; even  they 
cannot  go  in  with  lady  visitors;  should  they  do  so,  some 
of  the  women  might  have  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  see- 


48 


THE  ORIENT 


ing  the  callers.  Passing,  perhaps  through  a cattle  stable, 
then  across  a court-yard,  surrounded  by  low  houses, 
variously  used  for  stables,  store-houses,  or  servants,  then 
through  a low  door,  so  low  that  it  will  be  necessary  to 
stoop  on  entering,  a second  court  is  reached,  around 
which  are  low  houses,  or  rather  one  continuous  house 
on  either  side,  with  partitions  separating  it  into  apart- 
ments. The  walls  and  floors  are  of  clay,  of  a pleasing 
drab  color;  the  roofs  are  of  grass;  the  eaves  of  the 
houses  about  four  or  fiv'e  feet  in  height,  and  the  top  of  the 
roof  about  eight  feet  high.  There  is  one  door  in  each 
room,  opening  into  the  court,  and  unless  two  apartments 
are  intended  for  one  family,  and  joined  b}'a  door  through 
the  partition,  there  is  no  other  door,  or  window  even,  in 
the  house.  In  front  of  some  of  the  doors,  screens  of  mat- 
ting, or  earth  wall,  may  be  erected,  to  protect  the  women 
from  the  gaze  of  their  brothers-in-law.  These  various 
apartments  are  occupied  by  the  mother,  some  of  her 
husband’s  widowed  relatives,  and  her  sons’  wives.  The 
courts  are  of  diflerent  sizes  and  shapes,  and  in  the  course 
of  time  are  much  divided  to  suit  the  necessities  of  the 
family.  In  each  room  there  are  one  or  two  low,  light 
bedsteads,  a little  fire-place  of  bricks  or  clay,  two  or  three 
water  jars,  a couple  of  flat,  round  stones  for  grinding 
flour,  a small  wheel  for  spinning  thread,  and  half  a dozen 
brass  or  copper  dishes.  There  is  frequently  a kind  of 
clay  barrel,  built  in  one  corner,  to  keep  clothes  and  grain 
from  rats  and  mice.  There  are  two  or  three  niches  left 
in  the  wall,  in  which  a small  lamp  may  be  placed  at 
night.  A lamp  is  a shallow  earthen  dish,  about  two 
inches  in  diameter,  holding  the  oil,  in  which  is  placed  a 
bit  of  twisted  rag  or  cotton  for  a wick.  There  is  usually 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


49 


one  low  stool,  six  or  eight  inches  high,  on  which  the 
women  sit  when  spinning  thread.  This  completes  the 
inventory  of  a well  furnished  house. 

Such  are  the  homes  of  nine-tenths  of  India’s  millions, 
the  prison-houses  of  the  women  ! What  wonder  that 
they  have  no  word  in  their  language  equivalent  to  home. 
They  talk  of  house  and  family,  but  never  of  home  and 
wife. 

To  the  Western  mind,  one  of  the  most  surprising 
phases  of  Oriental  life  is  the  custom  of  infant  marriage. 
A boy  of  sixteen,  or  a girl  of  eleven,  unmarried,  is  a 
most  unusual  occurrence,  and  would  be  a matter  of  vil- 
lage gossip  and  a disgrace  to  their  families,  especially  so 
to  the  girl’s  father,  who  would  become  an  outcast  for 
not  having  fulfilled  his  duty  to  her,  by  obtaining  a hus- 
band for  her.  When  boys  are  eight  or  nine  years  of 
age,  they  are  betrothed  to  girls  of  five  or  six,  and  thence- 
forth these  children  talk  as  definitely  of  husband  or  wife 
as  old  married  people.  This  betrothal  is  considered  as 
binding  as  the  final  marriage  ceremony,  which  takes 
place  as  soon  as  the  girl  arrives  at  maturity,  occurring  at 
a much  earlier  age  than  in  colder  countries.  If  the  girl 
is  of  the  Brahmin  caste,  in  case  of  the  death  of  her 
betrothed,  she  is  as  much  a widow  as  if  actually  married, 
and  may  never  contract  another  marriage. 

Noth  withstanding  such  marriages  must  often  prove 
unhappy,  there  is  more  of  prudence  and  consideration  in 
them  than  at  first  sight  appears . Considering  the  low 
state  of  morals,  the  entire  lack  of  principle  to  keep  men 
and  women  pure,  the  seclusion  and  consequent  idleness 
of  the  women,  and  the  great  difficulty  the  men  find  in 
obtaining  a livelihood,  such  marriages,  contracted  before 


50 


THE  ORIENT 


either  party  has  sufficient  forethought  to  consider  the 
difficulties,  are  better  for  the  people  as  a nation,  than  the 
idleness  and  profligacy  which  would  follow  had  they  an 
opportunity  to  discard  marriage.  A change  of  the  pres- 
ent custom  could  hardly  be  beneflcial  before  the  people 
become  Christianized  and  better  educated. 

After  the  completion  of  the  marriage  ceremonies, 
among  the  Muhammedan  part  of  the  population,  the 
wife  for  the  first  time,  on  entering  her  father-in-law’s 
house,  sees  her  husband’s  face.  She  is  but  a child,  liable 
to  form  a child’s  unreasoning  likes  or  dislikes.  Her  hus- 
band, a mere  boy,  now  possesses  a slave;  her  mother- 
in-law  receives  a new  servant;  the  elder  sisters  regard 
her  with  jealousy;  her  father-in-law,  and  her  husband’s 
brothers  may  never  see  her  face,  and  rarely  speak  to 
her.  She  has  never  been  governed  in  her  father’s  house, 
but  must  now  submit  to  any  demand  of  her  new  rela- 
tions. 

The  Hindu  wife  enters  her  father-in-law’s  house  under 
the  same  conditions,  except  that  she  has  occasionally, 
when  surrounded  by  friends,  seen  her  husband,  and 
once,  during  the  marriage  feast,  for  the  first  and  last 
time,  eaten  with  him.  Ever  after  she  must  cook  for 
him,  fan  him  while  he  eats,  and  take  what  he  sees  fit  to 
leave  her.  The  bride  is  young  and  strong.  She  may 
draw  water,  cook  the  food,  sweep  the  floors,  light  the 
pipes,  prepare  the  pan,  or  betel-nut,  be  waiter  and  ser- 
vant for  all  in  the  house.  Her  mother-in-law  may  scold 
or  beat  her  even,  her  sisters-in-law  may  misrepresent  her 
to  her  husband  as  much  as  they  choose,  she  has  no 
redress.  The  only  thing  she  can  do  is  to  run  away,  if 
she  can  escape,  to  her  own  father’s  house,  if  he  happens 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


51 


to  live  near  enough,  and  stay  there  until  her  husband’s 
friends  want  her  services  sufficiently  to  coax  her  back 
again.  For  the  young  people  to  set  up  house  for  them- 
selves would  be  a thing  unheard  of.  Boarding  is  unknown 
in  India,  and,  except  among  the  Muhammedans,  divorce 
almost  equally  so.  If  the  bride  cannot  escape  to  her 
father’s  house,  and  her  situation  becomes  intolerable,  she 
may  either  commit  suicide,  or  kiU  her  husband.  Neither 
of  these  deeds  is  at  all  uncommon.  In  1867  Miss  Brittan 
wrote  from  Calcutta,  that  there  were  over  three  hundred 
women  confined  in  the  jail,  nearly  all  life  prisoners.  The 
greater  number  of  them  were  murderers.  More  than  a 
third  of  them  had  murdered  their  husbands.  One  poor 
child,  who  was  then  only  twelve  years  old,  had  murdered 
her  husband  when  she  was  but  nine  years  old  ! Think 
of  her,  of  all  the  dreary  years  already  past,  of  all  the 
dreary  years  still  before  her,  and  yet,  her  loneliness,  her 
deprivations,  her  burdens,  are  less  within  those  prison 
walls,  and  she  is  happier  than  she  could  be  outside 
among  her  friends  as  a -widow. 

Hindustani  women  far  more  frequently  wreak  their 
passion  on  themselves,  than  in  the  murder  of  others.  In 
fits  of  anger  or  jealousy,  they  beat  their  heads  violently 
against  the  wall,  hang  themselves,  or  spite  their  friends 
and  neighbors  by  drowning  themselves  in  the  village  well. 

Such  is  the  condition  of  the  ungovernable,  passionate 
ones.  There  are  those  who  are  gentle  and  unresisting, 
who  submit  to  anything.  It  is  their  fate,  and  how  can 
they  resist  fate.  If  a woman’s  husband  beats  her,  he  is 
wiser  and  stronger  than  she;  if  he  neglects  her,  she 
thinks  what  a poor,  siUy  thing  she  is,  why  should  he  care 
for  her  ? 


52 


TEE  ORIENT 


A Hindu  never  calls  his  wife  by  name,  nor  does  she 
ever  speak  her  husband’s  name.  Until  she  becomes  a 
mother,  she  is  “That  one,”  and  then  she  is  “So  and  so’s 
mother.” 

In  one  thing  is  the  woman  respected  and  trusted.  She 
is  made  the  husband’s  banker.  All  that  can  be  afforded 
is  expended  to  buy  jewels  for  the  wife.  A man’s  means 
and  his  affection  for  his  wife  may  be  safely  estimated  by 
his  wife’s  ornaments.  On  these  do  all  the  pride  and 
vanity  of  the  wife  concentrate.  When  a famine  occurs, 
it  is  a sign  of  its  exceeding  severity  if  the  women  begin 
to  sell  their  ornaments  to  buy  bread.  I have  seen  women 
in  the  mountains  in  India  who  had  but  one  garment. 
That  they  would  wear,  without  washing,  until  it  became 
rags,  but  they  had  their  ornaments.  They  had  brace- 
lets, armlets,  nose  rings,  necklaces,  finger  and  thumb 
rings  containing  little  mirrors,  anklets  and  toe  rings,  or 
beUs.  These  were  usually  made  of  silver.  The  moun- 
tain people  despise  the  people  of  the  plains,  who  have 
more  clothing,  but  wear  ornaments  made  of  pewter  or 
shellac.  They  do  not  ver}-  highly  esteem  missionaries’ 
Avives,  who  wear  no  jewels.  I was  once  far  up  in  the 
mountains  at  Budrinath.  The  mountain  of  Budrinath 
is,  as  the  crow  flies,  eighty  miles  from  the  plains,  and 
some  twenU'-two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  After  ten 
days’  hard  marching,  one  day,  about  noon,  our  party 
reached  the  vdllage,  which  stands  some  twelve  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea.  Our  tents  were  soon  pitched  on  a 
small  plateau,  a hundred  feet  above  the  dark  river 
Alikananda,  which  rolled  below  in  a swift,  deep  current, 
a litde  farther  on  was  lost  under  a bridge  of  snow  and 
ice,  and  appeared  still  lower  down,  dashing  over  the 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


63 


rocks.  On  one  hand  was  the  village,  of  some  three  or 
four  hundred  inhabitants,  built  around  the  fissure  in  the 
rocks,  from  whence  flowed  a hot  spring,  which  is 
regarded  by  the  Hindus  as  the  fountain  of  “Mother 
Gunga.”  On  the  other  hand  below,  was  a long  row  of 
native  houses  and  cowsheds,  beside  which  was  a field  of 
princess  feather,  just  ripe  for  harvest.  Not  a tree  was 
visible;  we  had  left  the  line  of  trees  some  three  miles 
below  on  the  road.  On  the  north  rose  a vast  snow- 
capped mountain.  To  the  east  was  the  river  gorge 
through  which  we  had  come ; to  the  northwest,  a couple 
of  miles  distant,  we  could  look  through  a narrow  pass, 
over  into  that  unknown  land,  Tibet.  On  the  south  and 
west,  ten  thousand  feet  above  us,  in  awful  grandeur  and 
silence,  towered  the  snow-capped,  glacier-clothed  god 
mountain,  Badrinath.  At  the  base  of  the  peak  stood  a 
somewhat  pretentious  temple  of  white  stone,  at  the  shrine 
of  whose  ancient  god,  bow  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of 
India.  Many  of  those  pilgrims  have  left  their  bones  to 
bleach  upon  the  lofty,  cold,  wind-swept  passes,  or  have 
sank,  overcome  by  the  fervid,  burning  heats  of  the  low, 
close  valleys  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains. 

Soon  alter  we  encamped,  our  Hindu  servants  went  to 
worship  the  god,  to  make  offerings  to  the  priests,  and 
wash  away  their  sins  in  the  fountain,  while  the  gentle- 
men of  our  party,  with  the  Muhammedan  servants,  started 
for  a climb  up  the  great  peak. 

As  I sat  with  my  two  little  children  at  the  tent  door, 
viewing  the  magniffcent  scene,  and  watching  our  little 
party  on  their  dangerous  climb  as  far  as  I could  see 
them,  I was  somewhat  surprised  to  see  two  native  women 
come  from  the  long  row  of  houses  towards  me.  We 


54 


THE  ORIENT 


exchanged  salutations,  and  they  sat  down  beside  me. 
Being  a white  woman,  I was  a great  curiosity  to  them, 
as  only  two  white  women,  years  previous,  had  visited 
Badrinath.  English  gentlemen  pass  along  this  route 
every  summer,  on  shooting  excursions  to  Tibet. 

The  dress  of  my  visitors  was  coarse  and  scanty,  but 
each  one  had  on  as  much  as  twenty  dollars  worth  of  sil- 
ver ornaments.  They  examined  and  admired  my  thick 
warm  clothing.  They  were  especially  delighted  with 
my  fair-haired,  blue-eyed  children.  Then  they  noticed 
that  I wore  no  rings  nor  ornaments  of  any  kind.  They 
asked  in  a very  pitpng,  sympathetic  manner,  “Does  not 
your  husband  love  you  ?”  By-and-by  they  wanted 
some  quart  bottles.  I told  them  that  I could  not  spare 
any,  that  I had  but  two,  one  to  hold  syrup,  and  one  for 
milk.  “What,”  said  they,  “do  you  not  drink  wine  or 
beer  ?”  They  plead  and  begged  for  bottles  for  some 
time,  for  they  did  not  believe  me.  At  last  they  took 
their  leave,  with  very  insolent  words  and  manner.  For- 
eigners who  did  not  drink  wine,  and  a woman  who  did 
not  wear  jewels,  was  scarce  worthy  of  their  contempt. 

But  not  all  the  jewels  of  India  could  compensate  a 
woman  of  a Christian  land  for  the  misery  and  degrada- 
tion of  a woman  there.  I knew  of  two  European  women 
who  by  fair  promises  and  untold  wealth,  were  persuaded 
to  become  the  wives  of  native  Rajahs  or  princes.  But 
what  bitter,  bitter  tears  wet  jewelled  fingers  and  satin 
pillows.  Happy  was  one  when  divorce  released  her 
from  her  bondage,  though  jewels  and  rank  went  too. 
Happy  was  the  other  when  death  claimed  her  as  his  own. 

The  greater  part  of  the  women  have  scarce  any  em- 
ployment, save  cooking  and  spinning  thread  to  make 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


DO 


cloth.  There  are  no  carpets  to  sweep,  no  chairs,  or 
tables,  or  pictures  to  be  dusted,  no  stoves  to  black,  no 
silver  to  clean,  no  beds  to  make,  and  not  more  than  half 
a dozen  dishes  to  wash.  They  cannot  sew.  Even  the 
poorest  hire  the  sewing  done  on  the  three  or  four  gar- 
ments they  may  require  during  the  year.  The  washing 
of  all,  even  of  the  poorest,  is  done  at  the  river  or  pond 
by  a caste  of  washermen.  They  cannot  read.  Millions 
of  them  are  as  firm  as  ever  in  the  belief  that  if  they  learn 
to  read,  they  should  become  widows.  It  is  only  the  more 
enlightened  men  who  allow  their  women  to  learn  to  read. 
They  cook  their  one  meal  a day;  if  they  are  pretty  well 
oft'  they  have  two  meals  a day,  and  the  rest  of  the  time 
they  spend  in  sleep,  or  in  gossiping  with  some  neighbor 
over  the  wall. 

When  two  Hindustani  women  meet,  the  first  question 
usually  is,  “What  have  you  cooked  to-day,  Sister?” 
Cooking  and  nipiya,  paisa,  rupiya,  paisa, — dollar  and 
cents, — is  all  they  have  to  talk  of.  They  tell  over,  and 
over,  what  their  ornaments  cost,  what  their  clothing  costs; 
how  much  they  pay  for  flour,  for  spices,  or  fruit,  or  rice. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  rules  laid  down  in  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Hindus  for  wives.  A good  many 
of  them  sound  harsh  to  us,  but  the  spirit  of  some  of  them 
may  not  be  unfamiliar:  “A  woman  has  no  other  god  on 
earth  than  her  husband.  The  most  excellent  of  all  good 
work  she  can  perform  is  to  gratify  him  with  strictest 
obedience.  This  should  be  her  only  devotion.”  “Her 
husband  may  be  crooked,  aged,  infirm,  offensive  in  his 
manners.  Let  him  also  be  choleric  and  dissipated, 
irregular,  a drunkard,  a gambler,  a debauchee.  Suppose 
him  reckless  of  his  domestic  affairs,  even  agitated  like  a 


56 


THE  OUT  EXT 


demon.  Let  him  live  in  the  world  destitute  of  honor. 
Let  him  be  deaf  or  bhnd.  His  crimes  and  infirmities 
may  weigh  him  down,  but  never  shall  his  wife  regard 
him  but  as  her  god.  She  shall  serve  him  with  aU  her 
might;  obey  him  in  aU  things,  spv  no  defects  in  his 
character,  nor  give  him  an}'  cause  for  disquiet.”  “In 
every  stage  of  life  a woman  is  created  to  obey.  At  first, 
she  }'ields  obedience  to  her  father  and  mother.  When 
married,  she  submits  to  her  husband,  and  her  father  and 
mother-in-law.  In  old  age,  she  must  be  ruled  by  her 
children.  During  her  life,  she  can  never  be  under  her 
own  control.”  “Carefully  let  her  perform  her  daily 
ablutions,  and  the  coloring  of  her  body  with  saffron 
dye.  Let  her  attire  be  elegant;  her  eyelids  be  tinged 
with  black  on  their  edges,  and  her  forehead  colored 
red.  Her  hair  also  shall  be  combed,  and  beauteously 
braided.”  “Whatever  money  she  receives  from  him, 
she  must  faithfully  expend,  with  no  reservation  for  her- 
self or  her  friends,  not  even  for  charitable  purposes,  unau- 
thorized by  her  husband.”  “A  woman  is  not  allowed  to 
go  out  of  the  house  without  consent  of  her  husband ; nor 
to  laugh  without  a veil  over  her  face ; nor  to  stand  at  a 
door;  nor  to  look  out  at  the  window.  She  is  like  a 
heifer  on  the  plain,  that  still  longs  for  fresh  grass.  Infi- 
delity, \iolence,  deceit,  en^•v,  and  viciousness  are  all  hers. 
She  was  made  for  servitude  to  her  husband.  She  has 
no  fitness  for  his  equal  companionship.”  “Let  all  her 
words,  her  actions,  and  her  deportment  give  open  assur- 
ance that  she  Hews  her  husband  as  her  god.  Then 
shall  she  be  honored  of  aU  men,  and  be  praised  as  a dis- 
creet and  virtuous  wile.”  “If  her  husband  dies  first,  and 
she  resolves  to  die  with  him,  glorious  and  happy  shall 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE.  ' 57 

she  be  in  that  world  into  which  he  has  passed.”  The 
mothers  seldom  have  any  authority  over  their  children; 
they  do  not  expect  to  have.  They  govern  only  by 
threats,  promises,  chicanery.  Their  tenderness  and  at- 
tachment for  their  children  is  very  great;  but  in  their 
ignorance  and  weakness,  they  cannot  understand  any 
other  manifestation  of  it,  than  by  extreme  indulgence. 

The  children  only  obey  the  father  through  fear  of  a 
whipping.  Their  mothers  the}'  strike,  and  speak  to  in 
the  most  insulting  language,  without  rebuke  from  any 
one.  The  mother  will  submit  to  the  most  unreasonable 
demands  from  her  children.  The  only  thing  they  have 
to  fear  from  her  is  a curse.  That  she  would  never  pro- 
nounce while  they  were  young.  When  they  were  grown 
up,  only  denying  the  faith  of  their  fathers  could  induce 
her  to  speak  such  fearful  words.  She  knows  nothing  to 
teach  her  children,  except  a few  of  the  abominable  stories 
of  their  gods,  and  the  idle  gossip  of  the  zuuana.  A boy 
of  ten  years  will  know  more  of  the  world  than  his  mother 
who  is  a “purda  nushin,”  or  curtain  hidden. 

The  lullaby  to  which  all  Hindustani  children  are 
soothed  to  sleep  is 

“Ninda  baba  nindi, 

Roti,  makan,  chini.” 

(Sleep,  baby,  sleep. 

Bread,  butter,  sugar.) 

The  simple  tune  fits  aU  kinds  of  baby  talk,  and  its 
monotony  is,  at  times,  most  aggravating  to  civilized  ears. 
Another  cradle  ditty  is  a few  lines  of  a Persian  song. 
They  have  a great  many  superstitions  in  regard  to  chil- 
dren, and  perform  a great  many  ceremonies  over  them 
during  their  infancy.  They  never  speak  of  a child  as 


5S 


TEE  ORIENT 


healthy,  or  fat,  or  beautiful.  They  think  that  if  they  did 
so,  some  evil  spirit  might  be  attracted  to  it,  and  cause  its 
illness  or  death.  One  day  the  native  nurse  was  holding 
my  baby  boy.  I was  laughing  and  talking  to  him,  and 
in  fun  pulled  his  nose.  The  woman  drew  him  hastily 
away  from  me,  and  exclaimed,  “Oh  Lady  ! You  mind 
Sunday  and  all  other  good  things,  and  then  you  pull  the 
baby’s  nose.  He  will  be  sick,  he  will  be  sick  !” 

Infanticide,  though  much  suppressed,  is  not  at  all 
uncommon.  Such  a thing  as  throwing  a liwng  child  into 
the  Ganges  is  now  unknown.  The  English  govern- 
ment has  eradicated  such  acts  of  horror  and  fanaticism ; 
but  the  murder  of  infant  girls  is  committed  every  day, 
notwithstanding  a great  deal  of  legislation  against  it. 
The  disgrace  of  a mother  who  has  only  girls  is  very 
great. 

The  caste  of  Thakurs,  or  Rajputs,  which,  next  to 
the  Brahmins,  is  the  most  powerful  and  wealthy  in 
India,  is  most  given  to  infanticide.  The  two  principal 
causes  is  the  great  expense  of  getting  a daughter  mar- 
ried, and  the  strange  family  pride  they  have  against 
becoming  fathers-in-law  and  brothers-in-law.  Among 
the  Thakurs  to  call  a man  “Sahlah”  or  brother-in-law, 
is  a terrible  insult.  In  1872,  an  official  report  to  the 
government  stated  that  “in  Cawnpore  district  61  villages 
are  redhanded  with  blood,  the  girls  aU  being  murdered.” 

It  was  desired  to  start  both  a boys’  and  girls’  school  in 
cwo  villages,  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  from  my  home. 
A competent  and  trustworthy  native  Christian  was  sent 
CO  find  out  the  number  of  children  there.  In  one  village 
he  found  about  one  hundred  boys  and  only  fourteen  girls. 

The  government  census  reports  show  an  average  dif- 


Ayn  ITS  PEOPLE. 


59 


ference  of  about  one-fourth  per  cent,  less  girls  than  boys 
among  the  Hindu  population.  The  difference  among  the 
Muhammedans  is  not  so  great.  Neither  is  the  difference 
between  adult  males  and  females  so  great.  The  greater 
mortality  among  adult  males  can  only  be  accounted  for 
on  sanitary  and  moral  reasons.  The  difference  between 
male  and  female  children,  however,  can  only  be  put  down 
to  infanticide,  and  the  criminal  neglect  parents  show  to 
infant  girls.  The  mother  sometimes  accedes  to  the 
destruction  of  her  helpless  baby  girl  as  readily  as  the 
father;  if  not,  she  cannot  help  herself. 

And  do  not  their  hearts  ache — break — as  they  feed 
their  dear  baby  girls  those  daily  doses  of  slow 
poison  ? Do  they  not  weep  bitterly,  as  they  give  their 
little  ones  into  a servant’s  hands,  knowing  it  to  be  for  the 
last  time  ? I believe  they  do.  It  often  seemed  to  me, 
when  I was  among  them,  that  the  only  point  of  real 
sympathy  between  them  and  Christian  women  was 
mother  love.  Ah,  mothers,  what  if  false  faith,  social 
bondage  and  family  pride  made  such  havoc  of  our  love  ! 

When  a native  mother  loses  children,  she  weeps  and 
wails  in  a terrible  manner.  She  screams  violently,  and 
calls  on  her  children  to  return.  She  tears  her  hair,  and 
refuses  food.  She  reproaches  the  gods.  She  hopes  for 
nothing  good  for  her  children.  She  thinks  they  per- 
haps may  be  born  into  the  world  in  the  form  of  some 
vile  animal.  She  has  no  hope  of  ever  meeting  them 
again.  After  I had  lost  one  of  my  children,  some  of  the 
native  women  came  to  me.  They  held  up  their  hands, 
as  is  their  custom  when  making  a request,  begging  me 
not  to  be  angry;  they  wished  to  ask  me  a question.  One 
of  them  said  to  me,  “You  love  your  children  just  as  we 


60 


THE  ORIENT 


do,  you  do  more  for  them,  you  get  ever^iihing  nice  for 
them.  Why  is  it,  that  when  they  die,  you  do  not  cry  for 
them  as  we  do  ?”  “When  my  bab}^  died,”  said  one, 
“Oh,  I beat  myself  so,  I cried  so,  and  tore  my  hair,  and 
would  not  eat  anything  for  three  days.  I would  throw 
m}'self  on  the  floor,  and  I made  a great,  great  weeping.” 
I told  them  that  I knew  my  child  was  happier  in  heaven 
with  God  than  I could  ever  make  it,  and  that  if  I was 
faithful,  I should  see  it  again,  and  that  they  too  might 
see  their  children.  “Ah,  Lady,”  they  replied,  that  is  a 
good  word  for  you,  but  there  are  no  such  good  words 
for  us ; our  children  will  be  born  again,  perhaps  in  a dog, 
perhaps  in  some  bird,  what  can  we  know  about  it.” 

Among  Muhammedans  polygamy  is  the  rule.  With 
the  Hindus  there  are  many  occasions  for  allowing  it. 
If  after  eight  years  of  married  life,  a woman  has  no 
children,  her  husband  may  take  another  wife.  The  first 
wife  would  hold  authority  over  the  second.  I knew  a 
woman  whose  husband  was  about  to  take  a second  wife. 
It  was  her  particular  desire  that  he  should  do  so.  She 
said  that  now  she  would  have  a servant  to  cook  for  her 
and  wait  upon  her.  The  children  would  be  her  own, 
while  the  real  mother  would  have  all  the  trouble  and 
care  of  them.  Happiness  and  concord  are,  however, 
anything  but  the  rule  in  such  households.  The  Hindus 
usually  prefer  quiet  with  one  wife,  to  endless  discord 
with  more.  Among  some  tribes,  monogamy  is  the 
exception,  but  the  larger  part  of  the  Hindus,  unless  they 
are  wealthy,  or  have  no  sons  by  the  first  wife,  usually 
keep  but  one  wife. 

The  Miihammedan  widow  may  marry  again.  When 
she  dies,  whether  as  wife  or  widow,  she  dies  quietly  in 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


G1 


her  own  house,  and  receives  burial.  The  Hindu  woman 
is  denied  all.  When  a Hindu  woman’s  husband  dies, 
her  lamentation  is  terrible.  Though  he  may  have  been 
a hard  tyrant  in  his  life,  her  condition  was  better  than  it 
ever  can  be  as  a widow.  Despised,  reproached,  stripped 
of  her  ornaments,  that  her  foolish,  ignorant  heart  loved 
so  much — denied  any  part  in  weddings  or  any  family 
festivities,  she  finds  naught  left  to  her  but  tears,  prayers, 
sacrifices,  fastings,  vigils,  and  servitude  to  her  husband’s 
family,  for  the  rest  of  her  life.  At  whatever  age  she 
is  left  a widow,  though  she  may  be  but  a prattling  infant, 
the  rule  and  restrictions  are  none  the  less  severe. 

The  fearful  practice  of  suti  or  widow  burning,  has 
been  almost  entirely  abolished  by  the  English  govern- 
ment. Instances  do  occasionally  happen,  but  the  lead- 
ers, if  found,  are  severely  punished.  It  is  estimated  that 
many  thousands  of  women  sacrificed  themselves  annu- 
ally, on  their  husband’s  funeral  pyres,  just  previous  to 
the  order  of  the  English  government  forbidding  it.  Some 
of  the  promises  and  inducements  to  women  to  immolate 
themseh’fes  in  this  manner,  are  thus  set  forth  in  the  sacred 
books  of  the  Hindus: 

“There  are  35,000,000  hairs  on  the  human  body.  The 
woman  who  ascends  the  pile  will  remain  so  many  years 
with  her  husband  in  heaven.”  “The  woman  who 
expires  on  the  funeral  pile  with  her  husband  purifies  the 
family  of  her  father,  her  mother,  and  her  husband.  If 
the  husband  be  a Brahminicide,  the  greatest  of  aU  crim- 
inals, an  ungrateful  person,  or  a murderer  of  his  friends, 
the  wife,  by  burning  with  him,  purges  away  his  sins.” 
“There  is  no  greater  virtue  than  a virtuous  woman  burn- 
ing herself  with  her  husband.”  “As  long  as  a woman, 


62 


THE  ORIENT 


in  her  successive  transmigrations,  should  decline  burning 
herself,  like  a faithful  wife,  on  the  same  fire  with  her 
deceased  lord,  so  long  shall  she  not  be  exempted  from 
springing  into  life  again  in  the  body  of  some  female  ani- 
mal.” “Though  he,  her  husband,  have  sunk  to  the 
region  of  torment,  be  restrained  in  dreadful  bonds,  have 
reached  the  place  of  anguish,  be  seized  by  the  imp  of 
Yuma,  be  exhausted  of  strength,  and  afflicted  and  tor- 
tured for  his  crimes,  still  as  a serpent-catcher  unerringly 
drags  a serpent  from  his  hole,  so  does  she  draw  her  hus- 
band from  hell,  and  ascends  with  him  to  heaven  by  the 
power  of  devotion.” 

The  sutf  monuments  are  scattered  all  over  India.  I 
have  seen  them  all  along,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges, 
where  it  enters  the  Indian  Ocean,  to  the  Himalaya 
Mountains,  twelve  hundred  miles  inland.  Solid  cubes 
of  masonry  from  three  to  twelve  feet  in  thickness,  sur- 
mounted by  small  domes,  mark  the  sites  of  widow  burn- 
ing. They  stand  sometimes  singly,  sometimes  by  the 
dozen,  sometimes  by  the  hundred.  Old,  bigoted,  Hindu 
women  bitterly  curse  the  English  government  for  inter- 
fering with  their  own  and  their  families’  chances  of  sal- 
vation, but  still  popular  opinion  is  slowly  growing  against 
widow  burning. 

Such  are  some  of  the  dark  phases  in  the  lives  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  Women  of  India.  And  yet  there 
are  still  darker,  deeper  depths  of  degradation  and  sor- 
row, of  sin  and  utter  wretchedness,  in  which  are  sunken 
millions  of  Hindu  women. 

The  lives  of  incarnate  devils  could  not,  it  seems,  exceed 
in  wickedness  the  lives  of  the  supreme  and  incarnate 
gods  which  the  Hindus  worship.  The  estate  of  woman, 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


63 


even  in  lands  where  Christianity  has  shed  its  purif}'ing 
light,  is  universally  acknowledged  to  be  still  below  its 
natural,  God-given  standard.  If  such  is  the  case  in 
Christian  lands,  what  must  be  the  estate  of  women  who 
are  under  the  absolute  control  of  men  who  worship  those 
embodiments  of  lust  and  wickedness,  the  gods  of  the 
Hindu  pantheon ; of  men  who  look  upon  women  as  soul- 
less, irresponsible  creatures,  who  may  be,  in  the  name 
of  reUgion,  even  by  father  or  mother,  or  at  the  call  of  the 
priest,  set  apart  in  the  temples  to  lives  of  unutterable 
infamy  ? 

Ah,  there  are  depths  there  from  which  we  recoil  with 
more  loathing  and  horror,  than  from  the  sight  of  putrif}-- 
ing  corpses. 

But  the  last  hour  comes  to  the  Hindu  woman.  She 
must  go  the  way  of  aU  the  earth.  She  must  die.  When 
a woman  dies,  it  is  not  a matter  of  such  great  moment. 
When  death  seems  inevitable,  she,  like  others,  is  carried 
to  the  Ganges,  if  she  lives  near  enough.  I have  often 
seen  sick  and  dying  men  and  women  hurried  over  the 
dusty  road,  to  the  river.  Sometimes  they  were  carried 
on  a light  bedstead,  on  men’s  shoulders,  with  only  a 
piece  of  cloth  thrown  over  them,  to  protect  them  from 
the  fearful  rays  of  the  sun.  Sometimes  they  were 
carried  in  carts,  without  springs,  in  which  they  could  not 
lie  down,  though  too  weak  to  sit  up.  They  were  often 
attended  only  by  the  driver,  who  hurried  on  the  oxen, 
regardless  of  the  pain  and  groans  of  the  d}dng  one,  lest 
they  might  not  reach  the  river  ere  life  was  gone.  The 
eldest  son  usually  accompanies  his  mother  on  this  last 
awful  journey.  When  the  river  is  reached,  she  is  plaped 
partly  in  the  water.  She  must  die  now.  To  return 


64 


THE  ORIENT 


home,  to  be  refused  by  the  holy  Mother  Ganges,  would 
be  a greater  calamity  than  widowhood.  Too  often  the 
son  hastens  her  death,  lest  she  should  recover.  The 
last  sigh  has  scarce  escaped,  when  her  body  is  thrust 
out  into  the  stream,  to  become  food  for  alligators  and 
vultures. 

Such  is  the  life  of  a wife  and  mother  in  India.  Unwel- 
come at  her  birth,  enslaved  as  a wife,  unhonored  as  a 
mother,  feared  only  for  her  curse,  and  without  one  ray 
of  hope  in  death. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


65 


CHRISTIANITY  FOR  THE  WOMEN  OF  INDIA. 

The  previous  article  has  shown  what  the  Shastars,  the 
Veds  and  the  Koran  have  done  for  the  women  of  India. 
Turn  to  a brighter  picture,  and  see  what  Christianity  is 
doing  for  them. 

English  statesmen,  travelers,  missionaries,  and  educated 
Hindus,  whether  Christian  or  not,  all  claim  with  abund- 
ant proofs  that  the  “Hindu  wives  and  mothers  are  the 
great  supporters  and  propagators  of  idolatr}',”  that  it 
is  “the  mothers  of  India  that  keep  the  idols  upon  their 
pedestals.”  Educated  Hindus  who  have  lost  faith  in  the 
absurdities  of  their  native  religion,  who  are  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  dare  not  bring 
upon  the  women  of  their  families  the  sorrow,  disgrace, 
and  ruin  which  would  result  were  they  to  join  the  Chris- 
tians. Home  ties  and  family  connections  are  not  less 
regarded  in  India,  and  in  many  instances  they  are  more 
binding  than  the  home  life  of  Christian  nations.  A man 
in  a Christian  country,  who  by  changing  his  religion 
should  cut  himself  entirely  off' from  his  wife  and  children, 
from  his  parents,  brethren  and  neighbors,  who  by  so 
doing  should  doom  his  wife  to  perpetual  and  disgraced 
widowhood,  his  children  to  reproach,  and  his  parents  to 
bitterest  sorrow,  would  be  considered  to  be  either  want- 
ing in  natural  affection,  or  else  a man  of  extraordinary 
will  and  religious  convictions.  Yet  such  must  be  the 
will  and  religious  convictions  of  the  converted  Hindu, 
such  the  disgrace  of  his  family  unless  the  women  can  be 


66 


THE  ORIENT 


persuaded  to  the  same  mind.  Shut  up  in  the  seclusion 
of  the  zunana,  forbidden  all  intercourse  with  the  outside 
world,  this  has  seemed  well  nigh  impossible. 

But  a brighter  da}'  dawns  for  the  women  of  India. 
Glimmers  of  light  have  penetrated  their  dark,  cheerless, 
vacant,  hopeless  lives,  and  they  are  reaching  out  for  more, 
calling  us  to  come  and  help  them. 

Hear  the  sad  cry  of  one  who  had  lost  faith  in  Hindu- 
ism, and  was  like  one  groping  in  the  dark  for  a resting 
place.  “Oh,”  she  said  to  a missionary,  “we  are  like 
beasts;  as  such  we  live,  as  such  we  die.  Why  do  not 
some  of  you  ladies  come  to  teach  us,  we  are  so  igno- 
rant, we  know  nothing.  Why  do  not  more  Christian 
ladies  come  and  teach  us,  if  they  believe  that  unless  we 
know  aboutjesus  we  cannot  go  to  heaven  ? Oh,  why 
have  they  never  come  before,  and  why  do  not  more 
come  now  ? 

Ah,  why  not  indeed!  Surely  because  Christian  women 
have  not  known  or  comprehended  the  sad  estate  of  their 
Indian  sisters.  But  there  is  no  longer  any  excuse  for 
ignorance,  no  longer  any  excuse  for  inactivity.  In  each 
of  the  leading  denominations  there  are  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Societies,  calling  for  laborers,  for  money,  for 
prayers  and  faith. 

Previous  to  i8i6  there  appears  to  have  been  no  suc- 
cessful effort  made  to  educate  the  women  of  India.  In 
that  year  Rev.  Mr.  Meigs  could  hear  of  but  three 
respectable  women  in  the  city  of  Jaffna,  in  Ceylon,  who 
were  able  to  read  and  write.  “A  certain  amount  of  edu- 
cation was  given  to  those  who  were  to  become  dancing 
girls  in  the  native  temples,  and  to  sing  dissolute  songs 
connected  with  the  temple  worship.”  In  i8i6  Rev.  Mr. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


67 


and  Mrs.  Poor  went  to  Ceylon,  and  shortly  after  opened 
a boarding  school  for  boys,  with  a department  for  girls. 
In  i8i8  they  reported  a few  girls  in  attendance.  It  was 
also  in  the  year  i8i6  that  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
of  England  established  a mission  in  Calcutta,  which  at 
once  opened  schools  for  both  sexes.  In  1824  the  Society 
reported  twenty-two  schools,  with  five  hundred  scholars 
in  attendance,  a large  number  of  whom  were  women  and 
girls.  “Great  interest  was  awakened  on  the  subject  of 
female  education  in  India,  and  a ‘Ladies’  Society  ’ for 
this  purpose  was  formed,  under  the  patronage  of  Lady 
Amherst.  At  an  examination  of  schools  in  February, 
1825,  out  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  girls,  in  eleven 
schools,  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  came  together. 
They  were  examined  in  Watts’  Catechism  and  the  New 
Testament,  to  the  gratification  and  surprise  of  all  pres- 
ent.” This  “Ladies’  Society”  is  the  first  Woman’s  Mis- 
sionary Society  on  record. 

The  Missionaries  of  the  American  Board  first  entered 
Bombay  in  1813.  In  1825  they  reported  “very  gratify- 
ing progress  in  the  education  of  heathen  girls,  in  spite  of 
strong  native  prejudices,  seventy-five  being  under  instruc- 
tion.” The  cause  of  female  education  made  more  rapid 
progress  in  Bombay  than  in  any  other  mission  station  in 
India.  In  1830  twelve  girls’  schools  were  reported  in 
that  city,  with  four  hundred  pupils. 

From  such  small  beginnings  has  grown  up  the  great 
work  of  education  among  India’s  daughters,  which  as 
yet  is  but  comparatively  in  its  infancy. 

In  i860  there  were  at  least  twent}' thousand  girls  under 
instruction  in  mission  schools,  and  much  visiting  in  the 
zunanas  had  been  accomplished  by  tbe  missionaries’ 


OS 


THE  ORIENT 


wives.  The  daughters  of  to-da}'  step  in  to  reap  the  glo- 
rious harvest,  the  fruit  of  the  seed  sown  by  those  noble 
women,  the  missionaries’  wives.  How  bravely  they 
toiled,  combating  ancient  prejudices,  false  notions  of  mod- 
esty, religious  intolerance,  social  degradation!  While 
their  husbands  educated  the  men  and  boys  to  a point 
where  they  would  allow  their  women  to  learn  to  read, 
the  missionaries’  wives  were  practically  showing  in  their 
little  schools,  of  such  girls  as  they  could  collect,  that 
widowhood  would  not  be  the  necessary  penalty  of  know- 
ing how  to  read ; that  other  than  courtesans  might,  with- 
out losing  womanly  modesty,  possess  a few  accomplish- 
ments; and  in  social  visits  to  dark  homes  were  infusing 
into  the  minds  of  many  veiled  and  gilded  prisoners,  hope, 
interest,  and  a desire  for  a better,  a nobler  life.  They 
received  but  little  aid  from  Home  Boards;  the  most  of 
their  work  was  done  without  appropriations;  they  had 
little  sympathy  from  the  Christian  sisterhood; they  wrote 
few  reports,  for  they  did  not  realize  that  they  were 
accomplishing  a great  work.  They  cheered  and  aided 
their  husbands;  they  carefully  shielded  their  little  fami- 
lies from  heathen  influences;  in  orphanages,  boarding, 
and  little  day  schools  they  taught  daily;  they  visited 
such  open  doors  as  they  could  find,  and  at  last  went  to 
their  eternal  rest,  scarce  dreaming  that  they  had  added 
one  star  to  their  crowns,  when  lo,  constellations  awaited 
them. 

A new  era  was  dawning  upon  India.  Educated  men 
wanted  educated  wives.  Hindu  women  heard  of  the 
pretty  accomplishments  of  the  foreign  women,  and  saw 
some  of  their  poorer  sisters,  who  had  placed  themselves 
under  their  teaching,  educated,  freed  in  a great  measure 


AliD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


C9 


from  social  bondage,  yet  still  happy  wives  and  mothers, 
and  respected  women.  Timidly,  half  fearing  still  the 
result,  they  began  to  ask  for  teachers.  Then  God 
moved  the  hearts  of  women  in  Christian  lands  to  devise 
means  to  elevate  their  heathen  sisters. 

In  1859  Mrs.  Mason,  a missionary  on  her  way  from 
Burmah  to  America  stopped  at  Calcutta,  where  but 
recently  zunana  doors  had  been  open  to  Christian  teach- 
ers. Her  sympathies  were  warmly  enlisted  for  the 
purda  nushin — curtain  concealed  women  of  India — and 
upon  reaching  America,  in  earnest  appeals  laid  their 
needs  before  American  women.  As  a result,  in  1861 
the  Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society  was  organized. 
In  1862  the  first  missionary  of  this  society.  Miss  Mars- 
ton,  was  sent  to  Burmah.  In  1864  Miss  Brittan  began 
her  work  in  Calcutta.  In  1874  reported  eight  hun- 
dred women  in  and  about  Calcutta,  under  the  instruction 
of  the  missionaries  of  that  society,  while  nearly  seven- 
teen hundred  women  were  being  taught  by  missionary 
ladies  of  other  societies. 

The  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions,  organized  in  1868, 
shortly  after  sent  out  two  missionaries  to  India.  The 
Board  now  reports  eleven  missionaries  in  India  and 
Ce3’lon,  and  has  established  or  assumed  the  support  of 
five  schools,  one  of  them  the  girls’  school  at  Uduville, 
Ce\d6n,  which  was  established  fifty  years  ago,  where  in 
1874  educated  women  of  Jaftha,  by  giving  money, 
jewels,  or  personal  property,  memorialized  the  mission- 
aries Dr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding,  and  Miss  Agnew,  who  for 
from  thirty  to  fifty  }"ears  had  been  their  teachers,  and 
established  a “jubilee  fund,  to  be  called  the  Spaulding 
and  Agnew  fund,  the  interest  of  which  should  be  placed 


TO 


TEE  ORIENT 


at  their  disposal  while  they  live,  and  afterwards  used  for 
the  education  of  girls  needing  aid  in  the  UdiiwUe  female 
boarding  school.”  The  whole  transaction  would  have 
done  credit  to  the  graduates  of  any  woman’s  college  in 
America,  and  yet  some  of  the  women  taking  part  were 
among  the  first  to  learn  to  read  in  India. 

The  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions  also  supports  twenty 
native  Bible  women  and  teachers,  who  are  doing  a good 
work  among  the  homes  and  zunanas  of  India. 

The  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Interior  has 
had  laborers  in  India  during  the  past  five  years.  At 
present  that  organization  sustains  in  India  four  mission- 
aries, seven  native  teachers  and  Bible  readers,  and  sev- 
eral schools  for  both  sexes. 

In  1870  the  women  of  the  Presb}i;erian  churches 
organized  a Mission  ai*}^  Society,  and  began  to  take  up 
work  in  India,  a large  part  of  it  already  well  established 
b}'  missionaries’  wives.  For  the  year  1875  both  branches 
of  this  society  supported  thirt}'-two  missionaries’  wives 
and  single  lady  missionaries,  sLxty-six  native  Bible  read- 
ers, zunana  visitors  and  teachers,  beside  a large  number 
of  orphans  and  schools. 

In  1865,  at  Lucknow,  then  the  most  southeastern  point 
of  the  American  INIethodist  mission  in  India,  the  women 
began  asking  for  more  light.  Six  zunana  schools  were 
established.  In  1867  two  schools  for  heathen  girls  were 
started  in  Shahjehanpore.  They  met  with  many  obsta- 
cles, not  only  from  heathen  prejudice,  but  from  some  of 
the  missionaries  as  well,  who  considered  them  a useless 
venture.  Three  years  later  seven  schools  for  heathen 
girls  were  supported  in  that  place.  In  Bareilly,  where 
in  1867  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  start  a school 


AJSiD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


71 


for  heathen  girls,  in  1868  a missionary’s  wife  asked  for 
means  to  establish  six  schools,  so  rapidly  was  public 
opinion  growing  in  favor  of  female  education.  All  over 
India  a like  interest  was  awakened,  and  every  day 
increasing.  In  1869  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Church  was  organized,  and 
sent  out  two  missionaries  to  India.  At  present,  they 
have  six  single  lady  missionaries  in  that  field.  They 
have  assumed  the  entire  control  and  support  of  a large 
orphanage,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls ; medi- 
cal schools  have  been  opened  which  have  graduated 
some  twenty-five  native  woman  doctors;  a fine  hospital 
is  established,  with  a dispensary  where  nearly  four  thous- 
and persons  are  treated  every  year.  There  are  three 
boarding  schools,  and  over  ninety  day  schools,  the  major- 
ity of  which  are  superintended  by  missionaries’  wives, 
of  whom  there  are  seventeen  in  the  field.  About  two 
thousand  women  and  girls  are  under  instruction. 

In  1871  the  Baptist  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  took 
up  work  in  Assam  and  in  Southern  India.  For  1875 
they  report  four  missionaries  in  those  fields,  with  schools, 
Bible  readers  and  teachers,  and  a most  encouraging 
prospect. 

Besides  American  agencies,  there  are  several  English 
and  European  societies  working  for  the  women  of  India. 
The  Indian  Female  Normal  School  Society  has  access 
to  hundreds  of  zunanas,  where  nearly  one  thousand 
native  ladies  are  under  instruction.  This  Society  has 
also  about  one  thousand  girls  attending  regular  schools. 

The  Society  for  Promoting  Female  Education  in  the 
East,  disburses  its  funds  through  missionaries  of  several 
diflerent  societies,  and  is  doing  a large  work.  This 


12 


THE  OniEET 


society  was  organized  in  1834,  and  was  the  first 
Woman’s  Missionary  Society  in  England  “to  attempt 
zunana  work  in  India,  and  to  send  forth  teachers  for 
Hindu  and  Muhammedan  zunanas.” 

The  Dilhi  and  South  Punjab  Mission  Association, 
working  in  connection  with  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel,  has  ten  English  and  European 
ladies  working  in  the  western  valley  of  the  Ganges.  It 
also  employs  twenty-one  native  teachers.  Several  Eng- 
lish ladies  give  not  only  means,  but  time  and  labor  in  the 
interest  of  this  society.  It  is  mainly  supported  by  con- 
tributions received  in  India  from  English  officers  and 
church  offertories.  A medical  school  and  dispensary 
are  in  charge  of  a deaconess  from  Kaiserswerth.  About 
eight  hundred  women  and  girls  are  being  taught  in 
schools  and  zunanas. 

At  Benares,  the  heart  of  Hinduism,  their  holy  of  holies, 
the  seat  of  Hindu  learning  and  superstition,  there  are 
more  girls  under  Christian  instruction  than  in  any  other 
city  in  Northern  India.  Three  English  societies  employ 
nine  English  lady  missionaries,  besides  missionaries’ 
wives,  forty  native  women  teachers,  support  twelve 
schools,  and  visit  sixty  zunanas,  in  which  about  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  women  and  girls  are  instructed.  In 
the  same  city  the  Maharajah  of  Vizianagram,  a Hindu, 
expends  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a month  on 
girls’  schools,  containing  six  hundred  pupils.  “A  grad- 
uated series  of  lessons  in  Grammar,  Geography,  His- 
tory, Arithmetic,  etc.,  have  been  prepared  expressly  for 
these  schools  by  a native  pundit.  None  but  women 
teachers  are  employed;  there  are  thirty  native  teachers 
and  two  young  ladies  employed  in  superintending  the 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


73 


schools,  instructing  the  teachers,  and  teaching  plain  and 
fancy  needle  work.”  In  government  schools  there  are 
one  hundred  and  forty-four  scholars.  “Altogether  Benares 
can  boast  of  an  attendance  of  fifteen  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  in  the  schools,  and  twelve  European,  and  eighty- 
four  native  teachers  engaged  in  the  work;  this,  too,  in 
the  most  heathenish  city  in  all  India.” 

The  English  government  in  India,  and  local  govern- 
ments as  well,  are  establishing  schools  all  over  the  coun- 
try for  the  education  of  girls.  In  the  Northwest  Prov- 
inces, and  in  the  Punjab  alone,  over  ten  thousand  pupils 
are  in  these  schools.  These  schools  are,  however,  open 
to  serious  objections,  as  the  Bible  is  not  taught  in  them, 
nor  any  other  form  of  religion.  The  Bible  is,  however 
kept  in  the  school  librarifes.  Miss  Carpenter,  a Unita-, 
rian  philanthropist  from  England,  established  schools 
upon  the  same  principle  of  non-interference  with  religion. 
They  were  a failure,  notwithstanding  all  the  eclat  and 
official  support  with  which  they  were  started.  The 
London  Times,  in  speaking  of  the  failure  of  these  schools, 
said  that  “natives  will  not  have  their  daughters  taught 
without  the  moral  safeguards  of  religion,  whether  Hin- 
duism or  Christianity.”  A native  paper  also  said  that 
“It  is  a great  mistake  to  attempt  to  found  a godless 
school.”  Natives  may  fear  the  influences  of  Christianity, 
but  they  fear  even  more  to  have  their  daughters  left 
without  any  form  of  religion,  as  they  inevitably  must  be 
if  educated.  Education  and  sound  belief  in  Hinduism  or 
Muhammedanism  is  not  possible  in  the  same  mind.  Still 
there  are  thousands  of  natives  who,  because  they  “eat 
government  salt,”  feel  bound  to  please  their  superior 
officers,  by  sending  their  daughters  to  government 


74 


THE  ORIENT 


schools.  In  a few  }'ears  these  women  will  become  a 
dangerous  element  in  Indian  society.  Knowing  enough 
to  make  them  proud,  restless,  and  ambitious,  but  not 
sufficient  to  influence  them  for  good,  or  protect  them  from 
evil,  without  the  moral  or  social  restraints  of  any  religion, 
they  may  work  incalculable  mischief 

In  the  Mission  schools  of  the  Northwestern  Provinces 
and  the  Punjab,  there  are  over  twelve  thousand  girls 
taught.  In  other  parts  of  India,  where  the  work  of 
female  education  has  been  longer  prosecuted,  a much 
larger  proportion  are  in  school.  In  all  the  schools,  both 
government  and  mission,  at  least  seventy  thousand  girls 
and  women  are  under  instruction,  an  increase  of  fifty 
thousand  in  the  last  fifteen  years.  “Lo,  what  a wonder- 
ful work!”  we  exclaim  with  pride;  but  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  of  the  120,000,000  women  in  India,  but  one 
in  every  fifteen  hundred  is  able  to  read,  how  small  that 
work  seems. 

For  years,  for  generations,  this  work  is  to  be  an 
increasing  one.  Every  year  more  and  more  women  are 
asking  for  instruction.  A few,  w’ith  much  fear  and 
trembling,  have  learned  a little,  and  have  found  that  for 
their  learning,  they  did  not  straightway  become  widows. 
Other  women,  seeing  this,  and  envying  their  pleasure  and 
acquirements,  venture  too.  In  learning  from  the  Chris- 
tian women  the  wisdom  of  this  world,  their  prejudice  to 
Christianitv  is  broken  down,  and  their  faith  in  Hinduism 
destroyed.  The  simple  study  of  geography  is  almost 
enough  for  that.  First  from  curiosity  they  inquire  con- 
cerning our  faith,  and  afterwards,  when  they  see  the 
weakness  and  falsity  of  their  ancient  faith,  they  ask  of 
our  religion. 


vLVZ)  ITS  PEOPLE. 


75 


Those  who  have  already  received  Christ  are  working 
and  praying  and  giving  of  their  poverty,  that  others  may 
be  taught  of  Him  who  alone  hath  power  to  forgive  sins. 
To  the  heathen  woman  Christianity  means  not  only  a 
good  sermon  on  Sunday  or  a precious  prayer-meeting, 
to  her  it  is  the  opening  ol  prison  doors,  and  the  cre- 
ation of  homes;  instead  of  slavery  it  gives  freedom;  in 
the  place  of  dishonor  and  abuse,  it  offers  to  her  honor 
and  respect;  in  exchange  for  a broken  mother’s  heart 
and  a murderer’s  blood-stained  hand,  it  gives  her  the 
lives  of  her  daughters;  instead  of  an  agonized,  hopeless 
death  in  the  muddy,  chilling  waters  of  the  Ganges,  she 
may  in  her  peaceful  home,  with  joy  upon  her  counte- 
nance, and  praises  upon  her  lips,  depart  to  be  with  Jesus. 

They  appreciate  all  this  ! They  not  only  long  to  tell 
the  story  of  Jesus  and  his  love,  but  they  go  earnestly  to 
work  and  tell  it.  Every  native  preacher’s  wife ; every 
girl  who  has  gone  out  from  the  orphanage,  and  every 
other  native  Christian  woman  who  can  read,  is  every 
day  actively  engaged  in  teaching  school  or  in  Bible  read- 
ing. Every  native  Christian  woman  who  is  not  too  old  to 
learn  to  read,  is  in  school  two  or  three  hours  every  day. 
Mothers,  daughters  and  babies  are  all  there.  They  not 
only  work,  but  they  give,  and  in  giving  they  shame  us. 
Some  who  have  but  two  dollars  a month  on  which  to 
keep  themselves  and  families,  give  twenty  or  thirty  cents 
a year  to  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Society.  They  have 
to  deny  themselves  to  give  that.  They  cannot  save  it 
from  extra  gloves,  or  ruffles,  or  flowers  in  their  bonnets, 
for  they  have  neither.  They  save  it  out  of  their  one  full 
meal  a day.  One  woman  whose  husband  receives  four- 
teen dollars  a month  gives  one  dollar  and  a half  a month 


76 


THE  ORIENT 


for  missions.  No  department  of  missionary  work  in 
India  has  been  more  successful,  or  promises  greater 
things  than  this  work  among  the  women.  Think  of  the 
two  little  girls  timidly'  peeping  in  at  door  and  window, 
fifty-five  years  ago  in  Ceylon,  and  with  difficulty  recalled 
from  flight  when  Mrs.  Winslow  attempted  to  speak  to 
them ; and  then  look  at  the  seventy  thousand  women  and 
girls  in  school.  Think  of  the  three  girls  who  were  first 
induced  to  attend  school  regular!}'  by  the  promise  of 
gold  beads,  then  turn  to  Uduville,  Ceylon,  on  the  iith 
of  June,  1874,  native  women  and  children  send- 

ing up  rings,  necklaces,  bracelets  and  ear-rings  to  aid 
in  the  endowment  of  the  Uduville  Seminar}'  for  girls. 
In  Ceylon  the  custom  of  paying  the  girls  for  attending 
school  could  only  be  abolished  after  thirty  years  of  teach- 
ing. 

In  1867  the  missionaries  in  Calcutta,  with  much  hesi- 
tancy as  to  its  final  result,  gave  up  the  “pice  system,”  or 
the  custom  01  giving  to  heathen  girls,  attendant  upon  the 
schools,  a small  coin  each  day.  See  now  fifteen  hundred 
native  ladies  in  and  around  Calcutta  under  daily  instruc- 
tion in  their  own  homes,  who  pay  fifty  cents  a month 
for  Bengali  and  a dollar  for  English  instruction. 

In  India  there  is  a double  cause  and  a double  duty, 
which  God  has  laid  upon  Christian  nations.  The  men 
can  be  reached  by  men  alone;  the  women  cannot  be  led 
out  of  their  darkness  except  by  women.  The  Hindus 
have  a saving  that  a tree  cannot  be  cut  down  except  by  a 
branch  of  itself,  the  axe  helve;  and  nowhere  does  this 
adage  have  more  force  than  in  woman’s  work  for  woman. 
The  more  the  labors  and  the  greater  the  success  of  the 
missionaries  among  the  men,  the  more  urgent  is  the  caU 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


77 


for  the  woman’s  societies  to  be  active  in  their  work. 
The  men  may  work  among  the  men  for  generations, 
but  if  the  women  are  left  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism 
they  will  bring  up  their  children  to  be  like  themselves, 
and  the  salvation  of  India  will  be  delayed  hundreds  of 
years.  To  American  Missionary  Societies  alone  do 
millions  upon  millions  of  the  people  of  India  hold  out 
their  hands,  asking.  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? 
Shall  we  turn  a deaf  ear  to  their  cry  ? God  forbid. 

The  day  is  not  far  distant  when  missionaries  shall  be 
able  to  report  not  only  so  many  thousands  in  school,  but 
thousands  of  women  converted  to  God,  thousands  of 
Christian  mothers.  Some  of  us  shall  have  gone  to  our 
rest  before  that  great  ingathering  day,  but  others,  with 
ancient  Simeon  and  Anna  shall  exclaim,  “Mine  eyes  have 
seen  thy  salvation.” 


78 


THE  ORIEy^T 


CURIOUS  CUSTOMS  IN  INDIA. 

The  most  inexorable  and  unchangeable  custom,  a cus- 
tom which  meets  every  Hindu  at  his  birth,  writes  his  fate 
upon  his  forehead,  and  disposes  of  him  at  death,  is  caste. 
No  other  influence  or  circumstance  of  his  life,  so  contin- 
ually, so  relentlessly  aflects  him.  His  rising  up  and 
sitting  down,  his  eating  and  drinking,  during  famine 
as  well  as  in  times  of  plenty,  his  clothing,  his  trade,  his 
journeying,  his  marriage,  his  prayers,  in  some  cases  the 
very  breath  he  draws,  and  his  manner  of  death  and 
burial,  are  all  governed  by  this  custom ; a power  stronger 
in  his  estimation  than  any  other  conceivable  thing  of 
heaven  or  earth. 

The  four  principal  castes  are  the  Brahmans  or  priest- 
hood, the  Kshatriya  or  soldiery,  the  Vaisya  or  mer- 
chants, and  the  Siidras  or  cultivators.  For  these  four 
castes  a divine  origin  is  claimed,  but  there  are  now 
almost  innumerable  divisions  and  subdivisions.  In  a single 

o 

district  of  800,000  people,  there  were  flve  hundred  and 
forty-eight  separate  and  distinct  castes.  The  origin  of 
some  of  these  castes  has  often  been  from  the  most  trivial 
circumstances.  For  instance,  some  men  fed  their  cattle 
gajurs,  or  carrots,  and  they  were  nicknamed  gajur, 
which  their  descendants  still  retain. 

These  various  divisions,  into  hundreds  of  castes,  each 
with  their  own  peculiar  distinctions  and  habits,  has 
resulted  in  establishing  a vast  number  of  curious  cus- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


79 


toms,  rites  and  ceremonies,  many  of  them  regarding  the 
most  trivial  acts  of  life,  that  could  not  be  separately  re- 
counted in  less  than  a good  sized  library. 

These  castes  do  not  intermarry,  smoke,  eat,  or  drink 
together ; many  of  them  may  not  touch,  or  be  touched 
by  those  of  another  caste.  Frequently  they  may  not 
draw  water  from  wells  belonging  to,  or  used  by  others 
than  those  of  their  own  caste,  nor  take  water  from  a 
spring,  in  which  persons  of  low  caste  or  no  caste,  have 
dipped  their  cups. 

An  American  was  traveling  in  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains during  the  hot  season,  when  many  of  the  streams 
were  dried  up.  One  day,  after  traveling  for  miles  with- 
out a drop  of  water,  panting  with  thirst  and  heat,  he 
and  his  coolies  came  to  a spring.  Being  a little  in 
advance  of  his  coolies,  he  dipped  his  cup  in  the  sparkling 
water,  as  it  bubbled  out  from  under  the  rocks,  and  gaily 
shouting  back,  bade  his  men  hasten  on  to  the  refreshing 
water.  To  his  amazement,  not  a man  of  them,  those 
dirty,  ragged  coolies,  so  foul  smelling  for  lack  of  bathing 
that  it  was  necessary  for  a civilized  nose  to  keep  to  the 
windward  of  them,  not  a man  of  them,  faint,  thirsty,  and 
weary  as  they  were,  would  touch  the  water  after  it  had 
been  polluted  by  a foreigner’s  cup  ! Had  the  spring 
flowed  out  of  the  mountain  side  a few  feet  above  the 
place  where  the  American  dipped  his  cup,  they  would 
have  gone  above  and  drank. 

The  members  of  some  castes,  and  foreigners,  may  not 
put  so  much  as  a hand  or  foot  inside  the  houses  of  other 
castes,  without  putting  the  master  of  the  house  to  great 
expense  and  trouble  for  the  purification  of  his  dwelling. 
Many  castes  must  live  in  villages  by  themselves,  only 


so 


THE  ORIENT 


entering  the  main  bazars  of  other  towns  for  purposes  of 
trade.  A Hindu  never  makes  any  attempt  to  enter  a higher 
caste,  nor  any  pretense  of  belonging  to  any  other  than 
the  caste  into  which  he  was  born.  Occasionally  a man 
of  low  caste  may  rise  to  a position  of  wealth  and  power, 
}'et  still  his  social  relations  remain  entirely  unchanged. 
A man  of  the  sweeper  caste — one  of  the  lowest — by  his 
ability  came  to  occupy  a responsible  and  honorable  posi- 
tion under  the  English  government.  He  as  proudly 
acknowledged  his  caste  as  if  he  had  been  a Brahmin. 
However  low  a Hindu  may  be  in  the  social  scale,  he 
always  finds  some  one  to  look  down  upon. 

These  distinctions  are  much  more  rigidly  observed  in 
Southern  India,  and  among  the  Himalaya  Mountains, 
than  they  are  on  the  intervening  plains.  Still  it  is  quite 
impossible  an3'where  to  persuade,  or  hire  for  an\-  sum 
of  money,  under  an\’  stress  of  circumstances,  members 
of  one  caste  to  perform  the  simplest  work  belonging  to 
another. 

In  Southern  India  nearly  all  the  servants  of  Europeans 
are  of  the  Pariah  or  other  lower  castes,  while  in  North- 
ern India  Muhammedans  are  usualE  employed.  The 
Miihammedans  are  somewhat  governed  by  caste  feeling. 
A Muhammedan  servant  who  blacks  his  master’s  boots, 
takes  care  of  his  clothes,  librar}^,  and  dusts  the  house 
dail}',  would  not  for  an\'  consideration  of  money,  sweep  a 
floor  or  draw  water.  The  man  who  draws  water  would 
not  tend  a horse  or  bullocks.  Man}-  cooks  will  not  wash 
dishes,  but  must  have  a boy  to  do  it  for  them.  Ava- 
ricious and  close-fisted  as  the  Brahmin  is,  he  would 
never  engage  in  an\'  occupation,  however  lucrative, 
that  would  affect  his  caste. 


AJS^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


81 


The  Hindu  infant,  if  a boy,  is  heartily  welcomed  to  the 
world;  it  a girl,  the  > family,  overcome  with  shame  and 
confusion,  answer  inquiring  friends,  “Nothing,  nothing  !” 
and  the  chances  are  one  in  four  that  her  life  ends  then, 
or  through  neglect  in  early  infancy.  When  the  child  is  a 
few  days  old,  the  house  is  purified,  or  mud  washed  inside 
and  out,  and  friends  are  invited  to  a feast;  when  he  is 
six  months  old  another  feast  is  made  over  the  ceremony 
of  giving  him  solid  food;  when  two  or  three  years  old 
another  feast  celebrates  the  occasion  of  shaving  his  head. 
If  he  is  a Brahmin  boy,  at  five  or  six  years  of  age  he 
aspires  to  wear  a muslin  cap  and  coat  all  day,  and  goes 
to  school,  where  he  sits  cross-legged  upon  a rush  mat  on 
the  mud  floor,  with  his  paper-covered  books,  and  sway- 
ing his  body  back  and  forth,  shouts  his  lessons,  in  com- 
pany with  half  a dozen  other  little  fellows,  the  greater 
part  of  the  day.  When  he  is  seven  or  eight  years  of 
age,  he  is  invested  with  the  upavit,  or  sacred  cord,  which 
is  prepared  with  great  care  and  many  ceremonies.  The 
cotton  of  which  it  is  made  must  be  planted,  watered, 
gathered,  spun  and  sold  by  Brahmins.  At  first  it  con- 
sists of  only  three  threads,  but  when  the  youth  is  married 
it  is  increased  to  nine.  It  is  worn  over  the  left  shoulder, 
and  hangs  loosely  under  the  right  arm.  The  ceremonies 
of  investiture  last  four  days.  The  feasting  of  friends 
and  Brahmins,  and  priests’  fees,  require  a considerable 
outlay,  which  poor  Brahmins  are  often  unable  to  bear. 
In  such  a case  they  take  up  a contribution,  thus  giving 
their  neighbors  an  opportunity  to  gain  for  themselves  a 
degree  of  merit. 

The  boy’s  betrothal  follows  almost  immediately,  and  is 
celebrated  with  much  feasting  and  pomp.  At  fifteen  or 


82 


THE  ORIENT 


sixteen  he  is  finally  married  to  his  child  wife,  of  whom  he 
knows  almost  nothing,  and  tor  whom  he  has  not  the 
slightest  regard.  The  principal  care  that  the  lower 
castes  have  for  their  children  is  to  get  them  married  at  as 
early  an  age  as  possible;  boys  at  five  or  six,  and  girls 
while  infants  in  arms.  A father  who  allows  his  daughter 
to  remain  unmarried  until  she  is  eleven  years  of  age, 
loses  his  standing  among  his  people. 

The  Hindu’s  first  act  on  awaking  in  the  morning  is  to 
pray.  In  passing  through  the  bazars  just  before  sun- 
rise, the  merchants  who  sleep  on  the  open  verandas, 
where  they  display  their  goods  by  day,  and  in  front  of 
the  closets  containing  their  stores,  may  be  heard  calling 
out  “Ram,  Ram,”  or  the  name  of  some  other  deity.  As 
hey  lie  on  their  slight  bedsteads,  without  other  cover- 
ing than  a white  sheet  drawn  closely  over  them,  head 
and  all,  they  seem  like  speaking  corpses. 

One  of  the  first  duties  of  the  day  is  to  clean  the  teeth, 
which  they  do  with  a twig  broken  from  a tree  on  their 
way  to  the  well.  Their  religious  books  contain  special 
instructions  as  to  the  kind  of  twig  to  be  used,  its 
length,  and  the  manner  of  using  it.  They  look  with 
abhorrence  upon  the  foreigner’s  custom  of  using  day 
after  day  a tooth  brush,  made  of  such  a disgusting 
thing  as  the  hair  of  an  animal.  They  consider 
the  saliva  as  most  unclean,  and  cannot  understand 
how  Europeans  can  use  again  and  again  a brush,  a 
spoon  or  fork.  In  eating  or  drinking  they  never  put 
their  fingers  in  their  mouths  or  a drinking  cup  to  their 
lips,  but  drop  or  pour  it  in.  They  never  stick  a postage 
stamp  or  seal  a letter  with  their  tongues,  and  hesitate  to 
take  in  hand  a letter  so  sealed.  The  European  custom 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


83 


of  using  a handkerchief,  and  then  putting  it  in  the  pock- 
et is  very  sickening  to  them.  The  more  rigid  and  scru- 
pulous Brahmins  never  eat  without  bathing,  all  good 
Hindus  bathe  at  least  once  a day,  while  the  labor  and 
trouble  of  bathing  once  a week  or  month  is  left  to 
Pariahs,  sweepers,  and  Western  nations. 

One  of  the  early  duties  of  the  Hindu’s  day  is  to  sacri- 
fice and  pray  to  his  gods,  and  though  the  greatest  mag- 
nate of  the  land  should  call  at  that  hour,  he  must  wait 
outside  until  the  service  is  over.  After  prayers  he  paints 
the  tilak  upon  his  forehead,  breast,  or  arms.  These 
marks  are  made  with  ashes  or  sandal-wood  paste.  Some- 
times a single  line  is  drawn  across  the  forehead,  or  per- 
haps a single  red  line  from  the  top  of  the  forehead  to  the 
tip  of  the  nose,  a few  strokes  in  front  of  each  ear,  hori- 
zontal lines  across  the  upper  arm,  and  many  other  marks 
varying  according  to  caste,  or  the  particular  divinity 
worshipped.  The  morning  routine  of  purification,  sacri- 
fice, eating  and  signing  himself  being  complete,  he  sets 
forth  on  the  day’s  business,  ready  to  lie,  cheat,  swindle, 
and  over-reach,  as  the  needs  of  his  purse,  or  cupidity 
may  dictate. 

When  Hindustanis  of  any  wealth  or  influence  make 
calls  or  visits,  they  take  with  them  as  many  servants  as 
their  means  or  rank  will  allow.  As  they  approach  the 
house,  one  of  the  servants  runs  on  in  advance,  and  informs 
a servant  of  the  house  that  his  master  is  coming.  The 
head  servant  of  the  house  goes  into  his  master’s  presence, 
and  with  joined  hands,  says,  “Rajah  or  Nawab  So  and 
So  waits  outside.”  If  the  caller  is  to  be  received,  the 
servant  of  the  house  goes  out,  makes  two  or  three  pro- 
found salams  before  the  visitor,  with  joined  hands,  and 


84 


TEE  ORIENT 


says  to  him,  “The  door  is  open,  the  master  says  salam,’^ 
that  is,  peace.  Should  it  not  be  desirable  to  receive  the 
visitor,  the  servant  says  to  him,  “The  door  is  shut.” 
Such  a reply  is  not  considered  as  an  insult,  but  indicates 
that  the  master  may  be  bathing,  or  eating,  or  sleeping. 

When  the  visitor  enters  the  reception  room,  he  and  the 
host  do  not  shake  hands,  but  bow  repeatedlv,  sapng 
“Salam,  salam,”  and  inquire  with  many  respectful  titles, 
alwa}'S  addressed  in  the  third  person,  plural,  concerning 
each  other’s  welfare  and  temper.  “Is  their  Excellency’s 
temper  good  ?”  is  as  common  an  inquiry  among  the 
Hindustanis  as  “How  do  you  do  ?”  in  our  own  land. 
There  is  sense  in  the  question,  for  it  is  a well-known  fact, 
that  there  is  no  quality  of  the  heart  or  mind,  that  suc- 
cumbs so  readily  to  illness  or  adversity  as  the  temper, 
especially  in  a hot  climate. 

The  Hsitor  does  not  take  a seat  until  his  host  is  seated, 
and  whenever  the  latter  rises,  the  Hsitor  also  rises,  and 
remains  standing  until  the  host  requests  him  to  sit,  or  is 
seated  himself 

When  the  visit  is  finished,  the  host  says  to  the  caller, 
“Their  honor  has  permission  to  leave.”  It  would  be 
considered  a mark  of  great  impoliteness,  for  a visitor  to 
leave,  before  the  host  had  signified  that  the  visit  was  long 
enough. 

The  Eastern  methods  of  agriculture,  from  beginning 
to  end,  are  a wonder  to  Westerners.  The  plowing  is 
done  b}^  oxen  alone;  horses  are  never  used  except  for 
riding.  The  plow,  which  is  of  the  simplest  manufacture, 
does  not  turn  up  the  soil  to  a depth  of  more  than  two  or 
three  inches.  The  seed  is  harrowed  in  with  a heavy 
plank,  on  which  two  or  three  men  stand  to  give  it 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


85 


weight,  and  drawn  by  oxen.  The  grain  is  watched  day 
and  night  by  watchmen,  until  it  is  ready  for  the  sickle, 
when  it  is  gathered  and  carried  to  the  threshing  floor 
on  men’s  heads.  The  oxen  are  their  threshing  machines, 
and  the  winds  of  heaven  their  fanning  mills. 

Irrigation,  that  in  most  parts  of  India  is  as  necessary 
as  plowing  or  seed-sowing,  is  accomplished  in  many 
tedious  ways.  Pumps  are  unknown,  except  as  a few 
may  have  been  imported.  From  tanks,  ponds,  or  riv- 
ers, the  water  is  thrown  up  in  baskets  from  plane  to 
plane,  until  it  reaches  the  level  of  the  field.  From  wells 
it  is  drawn  hand  over  hand  in  earthen  jars,  or  by  weighted 
sweeps,  or  sweeps  borne  up  and  down  by  men  who 
walk  from  end  to  end,  and  balance  themselves  by  catch- 
ing hold  of  tall  bamboos  stuck  in  the  ground  beside  the 
well,  or  by  Persian  wheels,  or  in  large  leathern  buckets 
drawn  up  by  oxen  running  down  an  inclined  plane  from 
the  well.  For  the  latter  method  three  men  and  a yoke 
of  oxen  is  necessary;  one  man  to  direct  the  water  in  the 
fields,  one  man  to  catch  the  bucket  and  empty  it  as  it 
comes  up,  and  one  man  to  sit  on  the  yoke  and  drive  the 
oxen. 

Grain  is  stored  in  pits,  in  earthen  jars  sealed  up  to 
keep  it  from  rats  and  mice.  Flour  is  ground  every  day, 
a quantity  is  never  stored.  The  farmer  does  not  own 
land,  but  claims  the  hereditary  right  to  cultivate  the 
same  fields  that  his  forefathers  did,  and  live  in  the  villa- 
ges where  they  lived  and  died,  sharing  his  grain,  or 
receiving  wages  from  the  hereditary  headman  or  land- 
holder of  his  village. 

There  are,  comparatively  speaking,  no  large  manufac- 
tories of  any  articles  for  trade  in  India.  Each  artizan 


86 


TUE  ORIENT 


has  his  little  shop  and  tools,  where  his  forefathers 
worked.  There  may  be  many  persons  of  one  trade  in 
a place,  but  there  is  little  concerted  action  among  them. 
If  a handful  of  nails  is  needed,  the  blacksmith  will  make 
them,  he  has  no  stock  on  hand.  If  a few  yards  of  rope 
are  wanted,  the  rope-maker  will  make  some,  he  has 
no  store  of  goods.  If  bricks  are  wanted,  the  brick- 
maker  will  make  them  upon  receiving  an  order.  The 
carpenter  saws  out  timber  with  a hand-saw  when  it  is 
called  for,  he  never  keeps  a stock  of  boards  on  hand. 

Wood,  milk  and  vegetables  are  sold  by  weight ; milk  is 
smoked  to  keep  it  sweet;  butter  is  boiled  to  keep  it  from 
turning  rancid.  The  unleavened  cakes  or  bread  are 
always  eaten  fresh,  and  vegetables  are  always  cooked 
with  the  hottest  of  peppers  and  spices.  Cows  are  milked 
from  the  left  side;  horses  are  mounted  from  the  right 
Vehicles  on  the  road  turn  out  to  the  left;  tailors  hold 
their  work  with  their  toes,  and  sew  from  left  to  right; 
cooks  sit  on  the  floor,  hold  a butcher  knife  erect  in  their 
toes,  and  grasping  the  piece  of  meat  with  both  hands, 
cut  oft'  a beefsteak  or  mutton  chop.  Carpenters  sit  on 
the  floor,  and  plane  or  saw  towards  themselves.  Books 
in  languages  derived  from  the  Persian  or  Arabic,  are 
read  from  right  to  left;  leather  book  covers  are  an 
abomination  to  Hindus.  Shoes  are  never  worn  in  the 
house,  and  seldom  in  dry  weather;  on  a long  journey 
the}’  are  carried  under  the  arm.  When  a man  plants 
an  orchard  or  a garden,  or  sows  a field  with  grain,  he 
puts  a stake  in  the  ground,  and  inverts  an  earthen  pot  on 
its  top,  so  that  an  evil  eye  may  first  be  attracted  by  that, 
and  whatever  evil  influence  there  may  be,  shall  attach 
itself  to  the  jar,  and  not  to  the  plants.  For  the  same 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


87 


reason,  broken  pots  are  placed  on  the  house  tops,  and 
rude  paintings  on  the  sides  of  the  houses.  Amulets, 
shells,  coins,  or  some  curious  article  is  hung  about  the 
necks  of  children,  to  attract  the  evil  eye.  Children  are 
never  praised  lest  some  malevolent  spirit  should  desire 
their  destruction.  A foreigner,  unaware  of  this  supersti- 
tion, expressed  admiration  for  a Hindu  baby;  the  mother, 
horrified,  remonstrated,  and  desired  the  stranger  to 
call  the  child  aU  the  bad  names  possible.  On  being 
asked  how  she  would  know  that  they  were  not  a real 
expression  of  opinion,  she  replied,  “Say  all  the  bad 
things  3'ou  can  about  him,  and  wink  to  me,  then  I shall 
know  that  3'ou  mean  just  the  opposite.”  Men  and 
women  never  eat  together,  never  walk  together;  modest 
women  wear  verj^  little  clothing,  and  keep  their  faces 
closely  covered,  while  women  of  the  street  very  care- 
fully envelope  their  figures,  and  uncover  their  faces. 
Helpless  bab^'  girls  are  ruthlessly  murdered,  while  it 
would  be  considered  a fearful  crime  to  shoot  a monkev, 
kill  a cow,  or  put  a sick,  mang\',  half-starved  dog  out  of 
its  misery.  Ljfing  is  no  reproach  to  a man,  onl\'  a 
matter  of  business;  perjurv  and  bribery  a matter  of 
course,  if  thereb}'  any  profit  can  be  gained.  The  gods 
are  to  be  propitiated  as  though  the^"  were  evil  spirits, 
and  licentiousness  is  a part  of  their  religion. 

Thus  appears  in  every  department  of  life  what  seems 
to  the  Western  mind  the  strangest  contradictions,  the 
most  wrong-handed,  inconvenient,  unnatural  and  unholy 
methods  of  working  and  living. 

Deaths  and  funerals  are  the  occasions  of  some  of  the 
strangest  customs.  It  is  the  ambition  of  a Hindus  life 
to  die  in  the  Ganges,  with  its  mud  and  water  in  his 


88 


THE  ORIEET 


mouth.  When  a man’s  life  is  despaired  of,  his  light 
bedstead,  or  a litter  of  bamboos,  is  lifted  on  the  shoulders 
of  four  men,  who  carry  him  to  the  Ganges,  or  the  nearest 
sacred  river.  Frequently  the  journey  is  one  of  miles,  and 
the  poor  sick  person  is  seldom  protected  from  the 
scorching  sun  by  other  than  a sheet.  When  the  river  is 
reached,  the  bedstead  is  placed  so  that  the  feet  of  the 
sick  person  are  in  the  water.  Food  and  drink  are  not 
usually  given  to  the  sick  after  they  are  thus  placed.  It 
not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  fresh  air,  and  change 
from  the  dark  and  unwholesome  house  to  the  cooler 
river  side,  revives  the  sick,  but  such  a circumstance  is 
considered  particularly  unfortunate,  and  a sign  that  the 
person  is  refused  by  the  Ganges  on  account  of  his  sins. 
Miss  Brittan  tells  of  an  instance  that  came  to  her  notice, 
of  an  aged  Hindu  mother,  who  was  thus  exposed  by  the 
river  bank  for  thirteen  days,  fed  only  with  a little  milk, 
part  of  the  time  without  shelter  from  the  rains,  and  part 
of  the  time  screened  from  alternate  drenching  showers, 
or  fierce  heat  of  the  sun,  by  a slight  canopy  of  mats.  For 
a consideration  of  twenty-five  rupees,  the  Brahmins 
allowed  the  old  woman  to  return  home,  and  her  family 
to  retain  their  caste,  notwithstanding  the  reproach  cast 
upon  them  by  the  refusal  of  the  Ganges  to  receive  one 
of  their  number.  Twent3'-five  rupees  in  thousands  of 
families  represents  as  man}'  weeks’  wages.  While  the 
invalid  still  survives,  his  friends  and  hired  Brahmins 
spend  considerable  time  near  him,  repeating  or  shouting 
the  names  of  various  gods  over  him.  Occasionally  the 
invalid  is  laid  in  the  water  up  to  his  breast,  and  kept 
there  perhaps  for  hours;  should  he  still  survive,  an  idol 
is  brought  and  with  the  assistance  of  his  friends,  he  is 


AXB  ITS  PEOPLE. 


89 


made  to  walk  several  times  around  it.  At  night  he  is 
left  in  the  care  of  a serv'ant  or  two,  while  the  Brahmins 
are  feasted  at  his  house.  When  the  poor  wretch  is  e\d- 
dently  nearly  gone,  whether  after  a few  hours  or  a week’s 
exposure  by  the  river,  mud  is  stuffed  in  his  ears  and  nos- 
trils, and  Ganges  water  poured  down  his  throat.  Death 
soon  follows.  The  body  is  then  anointed  with  ghi,  or 
boiled  butter,  and  dressed  in  new  clothes,  when  it  is 
placed  upon  the  pile  of  wood  that  from  the  first  has 
stood  ready  for  the  buraing.  Ghi,  pitch  and  oil  are 
poured  over  the  wood  to  make  the  fire  the  fiercer.  The 
son  lights  the  pile,  and  after  the  burning  is  finished,  a 
small  handful  of  ashes  is  gathered  up  and  made  into  an 
image  of  the  dead.  The  remainder  is  swept  into  the 
river.  When  the  family  is  poor,  and  cannot  afford 
sufficient  wood  or  oil,  the  dead  are  often  but  partially 
burned,  and  sometimes  their  faces  are  only  singed  over 
with  a wisp  of  burning  grass,  when  they  are  thrust  into 
the  river,  where  crows,  vultures,  and  alligators  wait  for 
food. 

But  the  spirit  of  the  dead  is  not  yet  at  rest.  The 
Shraddh,  the  most  important  of  ceremonies,  is  yet  to  be 
performed. 

The  spirit  is  supposed  to  take  an  ethereal  body,  about 
the  size  of  a man’s  finger,  and  remains  for  some  time  in 
this  form.  If  the  Shraddh  be  not  performed,  this  little 
ghost  becomes  a malignant  spirit,  called  a Bhut,  and 
delights  in  tormenting  mankind  for  having  been  neglected, 
and  left  to  wander,  without  a shadow  of  a hope  of  salva- 
tion. In  this  fact  lies  the  explanation  of  the  terrible 
punishment  which  the  English  government  saw  fit  to 
visit  upon  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  Indian  mutiny,  who 


90 


THE  ORIENT 


were  blown  to  pieces  from  the  muzzles  of  cannon. 
Their  bodies,  being  blow  into  atoms,  could  not  be  col 
lected  for  funeral  ceremonies;  the  Shraddh  could  not  be 
performed,  and  hence  the  insurgents  were  doomed  to 
eternal  wanderings,  themselves  tormented,  and  a terror 
to  the  living.  If  a man’s  Shraddh  is  properly  performed, 
no  matter  what  his  crimes,  or  what  misery  he  may  have 
inflicted  upon  others,  salvation  is  possible  for  him. 

The  Shraddh  must  be  performed  by  a son,  hence  the 
great  anxiety  of  the  Hindus  for  sons.  After  ten  days 
mourning,  the  eleventh  day  is  set  apart  for  feasting 
Brahmins,  and  the  ceremonies  of  this  rite.  The  son,  who 
has  been  required  to  shave  his  entire  body,  sets  up  the 
figure  of  the  deceased,  made  from  his  ashes,  a big  stone 
called  Yuma,  the  attendant  of  the  dead,  and  oflers  before 
them  rice,  sweetmeats,  sugar,  and  other  eatables,  which 
the  crows  are  then  allowed  to  eat.  Prayers  are  repeated, 
incense  burned,  Ganges  water  sprinkled,  and  rich  pres- 
ents made  to  the  Brahmins.  This  ceremony  is  repeated 
once  every  month  for  a year,  and  occasionally  after- 
ward. Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  are  sometimes 
expended. 

The  next  best  thing  to  dying  in  the  Ganges  is  to  die 
with  a living  cow’s  tail  in  the  hand.  Many  of  the  poor 
who  live  at  a distance  from  a sacred  river  are  obliged  to 
bury  their  dead.  Corpses  are  either  burned  or  buried 
on  the  day  of  their  death. 

The  Muhammedans  claim  that  they  bury  their  dead 
thus  suddenlv,  that  the  good  may  the  sooner  reach 
heaven,  and  the  bad  may  not  linger  in  the  house.  As 
Mecca  is  to  the  west  of  India,  the  feet  of  the  corpse  are 
alwavs  placed  to  the  west.  Sometimes  a Muhamme- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


91 


dan’s  shroud  is  ornamented  with  texts  from  the  Koran, 
which  religious  men  often  take  great  pains  to  prepare  for 
themselves,  in  imitation  of  Muhammed  the  prophet, 
whose  shroud  was  entirely  covered  with  texts.  Such  of 
the  Miihammedans  as  can  afford  it,  are  buried  in  open 
coffins,  the  poor  people  simply  in  their  shrouds.  A hole 
three  or  four  feet  deep  is  dug  in  the  ground,  and  a niche 
is  made  in  one  side,  in  which  the  body  is  placed,  that  it 
may  not  be  defiled  by  the  falling  earth.  A funeral  ser- 
vice is  read  at  the  grave,  the  friends  casting  earth  into 
it,  and  reciting  a verse  from  the  Koran : “W e created  you 
out  of  the  earth,  and  we  return  you  to  the  earth,  and  we 
shall  raise  you  out  of  the  earth  at  the  day  of  resurrec- 
tion.” The  wealthier  Muhammedans  build  a vault 
about  a yard  high,  immediately  above  the  body,  that  the 
dead  may  sit  up,  when  the  two  terrible  angels  Munkar 
and  Nakfr  come  to  recall  the  soul  to  the  body,  and  ask 
of  it,  “Who  is  thy  Lord,  and  who  is  thy  prophet,  and 
what  is  thy  religion  ?”  They  who  can  answer  in  the 
words  of  the  kalma,  or  orthodox  formula,  “There  is  no 
God  but  God,  and’Muhammed  is  his  prophet,”  are  dis- 
missed with  honor,  and  their  rest  is  visited  with  sweet 
airs  from  Paradise. 

To  follow  the  dead  to  the  grave  is  one  of  the  five  obli- 
gations of  the  Muhammedans.  No  one  ever  walks  in 
advance  of  the  corpse;  that  place  is  left  for  the  angels. 
If  the  deceased  was  poor,  and  unable  to  pay  his  debts, 
his  creditors  are  expected  to  forgive  the  debts  before  the 
closing  of  the  grave.  Monuments  of  varying  size  and 
beauty  are  erected  over  the  dead,  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  buildings  in  the  world  being  the  mausoleums  of 
departed  Muhammedans. 


92 


THE  ORIENT 


The  disposition  of  the  dead  by  the  Parsees  or  Fire 
Worshippers,  on  the  Western  Coast  of  India,  seems  most 
shocking  to  our  minds,  yet  possibly  their  method  is  not 
more  repulsive  to  us,  than  are  the  horrors  of  corruption, 
to  which  our  beloved  dead  are  subjected,  repulsive  to 
the  Parsee  mind.  “When  a Parsee  dies,  his  soul  goes 
to  heaven,  but  his  body  must  not  be  tainted  by  corrup- 
tion. Therefore  it  is  at  once  washed  and  purified,  and 
if  there  be  yet  time,  it  is  carried  to  the  Towers  of  Silence 
before  sundown.”  The  Towers  of  Silence  are  situated  upon 
the  north-east  crest  of  Malabar  Hill,  a short  distance 
from  Bombay.  There  are  two  principal  entrances  to  the 
enclosure,  one  being  reached  by  a giant  staircase,  half  a 
mile  long,  which  ascends  almost  straight  up  the  hill  from 
the  waters  of  Back  Bay.  Within  the  gateway  is  found 
a beautiful  park,  ablaze  with  roses  and  brilliant  flowers. 
Along  the  walks  are  iron  garden  seats  of  European 
make.  Close  by  the  gateway  is  the  Suggree,  or  mor- 
tuary chapel,  in  which  prayers  are  oflered  for  the  dead. 
The  dead,  however,  are  never  taken  within  the  building. 
Beyond  the  garden,  on  the  undulating  summit  of  the 
hill,  is  a large,  grass-covered  tract,  in  which  are  the  six 
towers,  each  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  and  about 
as  much  in  diameter.  They  are  solidly  built  of  stone, 
without  windows,  and  with  but  one  door.  None  save 
the  bearers  of  the  dead,  may  approach  within  thirty  feet 
of  these  sacred  towers.  The  corpse,  having  been  puri- 
fied, is  laid  upon  a light  bier,  and  henceforth  it  must  not 
be  defiled  b\'  human  touch.  The  mourners,  who  attend 
the  bod}'  to  the  towers,  must  be  washed,  clothed  in 
white,  and  carefully  avoid  the  defilement  of  touching  any 
person.  Carriages  of  any  sort  are  forbidden,  and  what- 


ITS  PEOPLE. 


93 


ever  the  distance,  the  party  must  go  on  foot.  Upon 
reaching  the  enclosure,  prayers  are  said,  the  face  of 
the  dead  is  for  a little  uncovered,  the  friends  take  one 
last  look,  and  then  the  body  is  carried  within  a tower. 
No  human  eye  witnesses  the  conclusion.  Several  hun- 
dred acres  around  the  park  are  strictly  kept  by  the  Par- 
sees  from  the  intrusion  of  residences  or  buildings  of  any 
sort.  From  the  lofty  palm  trees  within  the  enclosure, 
some  fifty  vultures  swoop  down  within  the  open  top  of 
the  tower,  and  do  not  rise  again  for  three  or  four  hours, 
when  they  come  to  the  top  of  the  towers,  where  they 
remain  for  hours  without  moving.  These  birds  are  not 
considered  sacred,  but  simply  as  a means  of  preventing 
decomposition.  “The  grounds  about  the  Towers  of 
Silence  have  nothing  of  the  hideous  taint  of  the  charnel 
house.  There  is  nothing  obnoxious  to  health;  there  is 
not  the  faintest  odor  of  death  to  mingle  with  the  perfume 
of  roses  blooming  around.” 


94 


THE  ORIENT 


WONDERFUL  ARCHITECTURE  IN  INDIA. 

THE  TAJ  MAHAL. 

“Do  I wake,  or  am  I dreaming  ?” 

Years  ago,  wearied  with  a night’s  long  journey  in  a 
railroad  car,  in  India,  I looked  out  just  before  sunrise, 
and  exclaimed,  “See,  the  Taj,  the  Taj,  it’s  like  heaven  !” 
And  truly,  a more  heavenly  scene  never  burst  upon 
my  vision,  than  that  enchanting  introduction  to  that 
“dream  in  marble,”  the  Taj.  In  the  foreground  stood 
a great  grove  of  rich  green  mangoe  trees,  while 
around  it,  over  it,  and  beyond,  hovered  the  light  cloud 
of  blue  smoke  that  wraps  all  India  as  in  a garment  of 
gauze,  through  the  nights  and  mornings  of  the  cold 
season.  Beyond  the  grove,  above  the  hazy  smoke,  and 
apparently  poised  upon  it,  seemed  to  float  the  spotless 
dome  and  graceful  minarets  of  the  Taj.  All  too  soon, 
the  train  bore  us  from  the  enchanting  view,  but  ever 
since  the  picture  has  hung  most  treasured  in  memory’s 
gallery,  and  so  much,  at  least,  of  that  “crown”  of  archi- 
tecture is  mine.  Later  in  the  day,  I walked  up  the 
broad  pavement,  through  the  cool  garden,  towards  the 
Taj,  awed  before  the  matchless  structure,  fearing  lest  I 
might  not  be  able  to  retain  a foothold  on  its  polished, 
glistening,  marble  floors,  and  feeling  that  it  would  be 
almost  sacrilege  to  step  upon  such  a gem  of  art.  When 
within  the  marble  walls,  amid  its  elegant  forms,  its 
exquisite  carvings,  its  rich  mosaics,  standing  in  the  soft- 
ened light,  listening  to  the  echoes,  as  of  angel  voices 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


95 


far  up  in  the  dome,  answering  to  the  faintest  whisper 
below,  all  language  failed.  The  sense  of  beauty,  of 
perfect  proportion,  of  repose,  of  delicacy  and  purity,  could 
only  be  felt,  as  one  feels  the  pervading  influence  of  soft 
sunshine.  Would  I sing  to  wake  the  grand  echoes  ? 
Ah,  how  could  I;  a foreign  tongue,  and  a Christian  song 
seemed  out  of  keeping,  a human  voice  might  falter,  and 
there  was  naught  but  harmony  there. 

A Persian  manuscript  quaintly  tells  the  origin  of  this 
marvelous  structure,  and  gives  something  of  the  history 
of  the  lovely  queen,  in  whose  honor  it  was  built.  The 
manuscript  opens  thus: 

“/«  the  na77ie  of  God,  the  Most  Merciftd  and  Kind^"' 

This  book  gives  an  account  of  Bunii  Begum,  whose 
title  was  Mumtaz  Mahal — of  all  families  the  most  illus- 
trious— better  known  as  Taj  Bibi,  andNurJehan — Light 
of  the  World — the  wife  of  Shah  Jehan  Badsha  Gazi,  the 
daughter  of  Nawab  Asif  Khan,  Prime  Minister  and 
grand-daughter  of  Nawab  Etmad-ud-Dowlah.  Shah 
Jehan,  Emperor,  Conqueror  of  Worlds,  Protector  of 
the  Poor,  Taken  by  the  hand  of  the  distressed,  most 
learned  and  illustrious,  had  four  sons  by  his  Empress 
Mumtaz.  The  Emperor  had  also  four  daughters,  accom- 
plished, beautiful,  and  obedient.  The  first,  Unjeman 
Arra  Begum;  the  second,  Gatf  Arra  Begum;  the  third, 
Jehan  Arra  Begum;  and  the  fourth,  Dehahur  Arra 
Begum,  who  cried  before  she  came  into  the  world,  and 
whose  birth  occasioned  the  death  of  the  Empress.  * * 

They  tried  every  remedy  without  success,  though  every 
prayer  was  said. 

‘Ihe  clever  medicos  used  all  their  skill, 

But  saving  her  was  not  God's  will.’ 


96 


THE  ORIENT 


On  one  side  all  the  priests  read  prayers  and  used 
charms;  on  the  other,  the  nurses  rubbed  the  hands  and 
feet  of  the  poor  Empress,  but  she  gave  up  all  hopes  of 
life,  called  the  Emperor  to  her,  and  weeping,  said,  ‘Oh 
King,  to-day  such  misfortunes  have  shown  their  faces 
that  my  mind  is  troubled  and  oppressed,  and  I am  verj^ 
restless;  I know  not  how  this  will  end.’  The  Emperor, 
on  hearing  these  words,  was  grieved  and  astonished, 
and,  placing  his  finger  on  his  lips,  tried  to  think  of  some- 
thing to  solace  and  comfort  the  Begum;  she  ordered  all 
her  gems  and  jewels  to  be  brought,  and  gave  them  to  the 
Emperor,  and  begged  him  to  be  kind  to  his  children; 
sometimes  the  two  laughed,  and  sometimes  cried,  as  they 
talked  about  the  thoughts  of  death.  The  Empress  said, 
‘I  must  prepare  to  take  leave  of  this  world;  pardon  all 
my  faults,  and  any  angr^^  words  I may  have  said;  after 
this  I am  ready  to  be  a traveler’ — i.  e.,  to  die.  The  Em- 
peror, hearing  these  her  last  fond  words,  from  the  great 
love  he  bore  her,  wept  so  much,  it  was  like  the  stars 
falling  from  heaven,  or  the  rain  upon  the  earth. 

‘Were  I to  paint  it,  the  whole  world  would  weep  ; 

Suffice  to  say,  the  Emperor‘s  grief  was  deep.’ 

At  last  the  Empress,  after  cr3’ing  much,  said,  ‘Oh, 
King,  I have  lived  with  3'ou  through  joy  and  affliction. 
God  has  made  you  a great  Emperor,  and  given  you 
worlds  to  rule;  there  is  a last  wish  of  m3'  heart,  now  I 
am  about  to  leave  3'ou,  and  two  pieces  of  advice  I would 
fain  have  3'ou  follow.’  The  Emperor  assured  her  that 
whatever  the3'  might  be,  he  would  obe3'  them.  The 
Queen  then  said,  ‘The  High  God  has  given  3'ou  four 
sons  and  three  daughters  to  perpetuate  3'our  name.  Do 
not  marr3'  again,  so  that  quarrels  and  estrangements  ma3’’ 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


97 


not  arise  among  them.  The  second  thing  is,  build  over 
me  such  a beautiful  tomb  as  the  world  never  saw.’ 
Shah  Jehan  promised  both  things.  Soon  after  this  the 
Empress  began  to  shiv^er,  and  all  her  limbs  turn  cold, 
and  such  lamentations  arose  in  the  palace  as  if  the  day 
of  judgment  were  at  hand.  The  Emperor  did  nothing 
but  weep,  and  beat  his  breast,  saying,  in  the  language 
of  the  poet  Sadi: 

‘Money  abides  not  in  the  palm  of  those  who  careless  live, 

Nor  patience  in  the  lover’s  heart,  nor  water  in  a sieve.’ 

At  last  the  Empress  left  this  world,  and  went  to  the 
next,  living  with  the  Peris  in  heaven.  Her  mortal 
remains  were  interred  at  first  in  a garden,  near  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  Taj,  and  when  the  tomb  was  prepared  for 
her,  they  were  afterwards  removed  with  great  ceremony 
to  the  vault  underneath  the  Taj.”  * * * The  Em- 

press died  in  the  year  1630.” 

The  famous  Taj,  for  its  grandeur,  its  beauty  and  rich- 
ness, the  wonder  and  gem  of  the  world,  is  placed  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river  Jumna,  about  three  miles  from  the 
city  of  Agra,  where  dwelt  in  a magnificent  palace,  the 
Begum  Mumtaz  Mahal.  It  is  placed  in  an  immense 
garden  of  exquisite  loveliness,  where  mingle  in  sweet 
enchantment,  songs  of  birds,  the  bubbling  of  fountains 
and  rippling  water,  the  perfumed  breath  of  rare  flowers, 
spicy  odors  of  fragrant  trees,  deep,  cool  shadows,  and 
the  rich  coloring  of  oriental  bud  and  blossom. 

The  entrance  to  this  charmed  place  is  a noble  gate- 
way of  grand  proportions,  built  of  dark  red  sandstone, 
and  inlaid  with  texts  from  the  Koran  in  white  marble. 
“It  is  itself  a palace,  both  as  regards  its  magnitude  and 
its  decorations.  The  lofty  walls  that  surround  the  gar- 


98 


THE  OEIEST 


den  are  also  of  red  sandstone,  having  arched  colonnades 
running  around  the  interior,  and  giving  an  air  of  magnifi- 
cence to  the  whole  enclosure.” 

More  beautiful  than  all,  solid  and  grand  as  the  work 
of  giants,  delicate  and  perfect  as  a fairy  fabric,  far  up 
against  the  blue  sky,  rise  the  snow  white  marble  walls, 
the  shining  domes  and  gleaming  minarets  of  the  Taj. 
The  building  is  octagonal,  or  rather  a square,  with  the 
corners  truncated,  and  each  side  precisely  similar.  It 
stands  upon  a pedestal  thirty  feet  in  height,  with  a min- 
aret at  each  corner,  and  this  again  is  lifted  on  a vast  ter- 
race of  solid  masonry.  On  each  side  there  is  a grand 
entrance,  formed  by  a single  pointed  arch,  rising  nearly 
to  the  cornice,  and  two  smaller  arches,  one  placed  above 
the  other  on  either  hand.  “The  dome,  ‘shining  like  an 
enchanted  castle  of  burnished  silver,’  is  seventy  feet  in 
diameter,  the  Taj  itself  is  two  hundred  and  forty-five  feet 
in  altitude,  and  the  cullice  or  golden  spire  on  the  sum- 
mit, is  thirty  feet  more,  making  a height  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy  five  feet  from  the  terrace  to  the  golden 
crescent.” 

The  four  elegant  minarets  on  the  sides  of  the  platform 
are  of  great  sj'mmetry  and  beauty,  and  said  to  be  of 
the  smallest  possible  circumference  to  stand  such  a great 
height,  each  being  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
high. 

The  mausoleum,  the  platform  upon  which  it  stands, 
and  the  minarets,  are  all  formed  of  the  finest  white 
marble,  inlaid  on  the  outside,  with  the  whole  of  the  Koran 
in  black  marble  Arabic  characters,  and  on  the  inside,  with 
flowers  and  designs  formed  of  precious  stones.  Upon 
one  side  of  the  great  terrace,  and  facing  the  Taj,  is  a 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


99 


beautiful  mosque  of  red  sandstone,  covered  with  a mo- 
saic of  white  marble,  and  on  the  opposite  side  is  a build- 
ing exactly  corresponding  to  it,  which  was  erected  for 
no  purpose  save  that  of  preserving  the  perfect  propor- 
tions of  the  whole  structure. 

Beautiful  without,  all  glorious  within,  which  is  the 
more  fascinating,  the  exterior  or  the  interior,  none  can 
tell.  The  exterior  view,  beautiful  at  all  times,  by  sun- 
rise or  moonlight,  possesses  an  enchantment  that  sur- 
passes aU  description.  It  must  be  felt  to  be  realized. 

Entering  the  wonderful  shrine,  in  the  vault  beneath  are 
seen  the  real  sarcophagi,  in  which  repose  the  remains  of 
the  Emperor  and  Empress.  The  tomb  of  the  Empress 
is  placed  in  the  very  center,  the  Emperor’s  close  beside. 
The  soft  light  reveals  naught  but  polished  marble  and 
beautiful  carvings,  but  the  glory  of  the  building  is  seen 
in  the  rotunda  above,  where  other  tombs,  rich  in  gems, 
represent  those  below.  Standing  in  the  rotunda,  the 
scene  is  matchless. 

“The  floor  is  of  polished  marble  and  jasper,  orna- 
mented with  a wainscoting  of  sculptured  marble  tablets, 
inlaid  with  flowers  formed  of  precious  stones.  Around 
are  windows  or  screens  of  marble  filigree,  richly  wrought 
in  various  patterns,  which  admit  a faint  and  delicate  illu- 
mination into  the  gorgeous  apartment.”  “Divided  into 
several  compartments  and  panels,  a magnificent  octa- 
gonal screen  sweeps  around  the  marble  cenotaphs  that 
lie  within  it,  and  represent  the  real  tombs  seen  in  the 
vault  beneath.  It  is  of  purest  marble,  so  pierced  and 
carved  as  to  look  like  a high  fence  of  exquisite  lace- 
work,  but  is  really  far  more  refined  and  beautiful,  for 
everywhere  along  those  panels  are  wreaths  of  flowers. 


100 


THE  ORIENT 


composed  of  lapis-lazuli,  jasper,  heliotrope,  chalcedony, 
carnelian,  and  other  gems,  so  that  to  make  one  of  the 
hundreds  of  these  bouquets,  a hundred  different  stones 
are  required.” 

But  the  purest  of  marble,  the  richest  of  gems,  and  the 
finest  workmanship,  was  reserved  for  the  cenotaph  of 
the  Empress.  Dr.  Butler,  who  in  “The  Land  of  the 
Veda,”  has  a fine  account  of  the  Taj,  thus  speaks  of  it: 

“But  her  tomb — how  beautiful ! The  snow-white  marble 
is  inlaid  with  flowers  so  delicately  formed  that  they  look 
like  embroidery  on  white  satin,  so  exquisitely  is  the  mo- 
saic executed  in  carnelian,  bloodstone,  agates,  jasper, 
turquoise,  lapis-lazuli,  and  other  precious  stones.  Her 
name  and  date  of  death,  with  her  virtuous  qualities,  are 
recorded  in  the  same  costly  manner,  in  gems  of  Arabic 
— the  sacred  language  of  the  Muhammedan — on  the 
side  of  her  tomb. 

The  Emperor’s  tomb  is  plainer  than  the  other,  has  no 
passages  from  the  Koran,  but  merely  a similar  mosaic 
work  of  flowers,  and  his  name,  with  the  date  of  his  death, 
upon  it.” 

High  over  all  these  gems  of  mine  and  art,  rises  a mag- 
nificent dome,  which  is  so  constructed  as  to  contain  an 
echo  unrivalled  for  purity  or  sweetness.  Of  beautiful 
descriptions  of  its  enchanting  music,  the  following  pic- 
tures most  vividly  depict  its  wonderful  spell : 

“Now  take  your  seat  upon  the  marble  pavement 
beside  the  upper  tombs,  and  send  your  companion  to 
the  vault  underneath,  to  run  slowly  over  the  notes  of  his 
flute  or  guitar.  Was  ever  melody  like  this  ? It  haunts 
the  air  above  and'  around.  It  distills  in  showers  upon 
the  polished  marble.  It  condenses  into  the  mild  shad- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


101 


ows,  and  sublimes  into  the  softened,  hallowed  light 
around.  It  is  the  very  element  with  which  sweet  dreams 
are  builded.  It  is  the  melancholy  echo  of  the  past — it 
is  the  bright,  delicate  harping  of  the  future.  It  is  the 
atmosphere  breathed  by  Ariel,  and  playing  around  the 
fountain  of  Chindara.  It  is  the  spirit  of  the  Taj,  the 
voice  of  inspired  love,  which  called  into  being  this  peer- 
less wonder  of  the  world,  and  elaborated  its  symmetry, 
and  composed  its  harmony,  and,  eddying  around  its 
young  minarets  and  domes,  blended  them  without  a line 
into  the  azure  of  immensity.” 

Bayard  Taylor,  in  speaking  of  the  echo,  says:  “The 
dome  of  the  Taj  contains  an  echo  more  sweet,  pure,  and 
prolonged  than  that  in  the  Baptistry  of  Pisa,  which 
is  the  finest  in  Europe.  A single  musical  note  uttered 
by  the  voice,  floats  and  soars  overhead  in  a long,  delicious 
undulation,  fading  away  so  slowly  that  you  hear  it  after 
it  is  silent,  as  you  see,  or  seem  to  see,  a lark  you  have 
been  watching,  after  it  is  swallowed  up  in  the  blue  vault 
of  heaven.  I pictured  to  myself  the  effect  of  an  Arabic 
or  Persian  lament  for  the  lovely  Mumtaz  sung  over  her 
tomb.  The  responses  that  would  come  from  above,  in 
the  pauses  of  the  song,  must  resemble  the  harmonies  of 
angels  in  Paradise.” 

Of  the  Taj,  he  also  says:  “The  Taj  truly  is  a poem. 
It  is  not  only  a pure  architectural  type,  but  also  a creation 
which  satisfies  the  imagination,  because  its  characteristic 
is  beauty.  Did  you  ever  build  a castle  in  the  air  ? Here 
is  one  brought  down  to  the  earth,  and  fixed  for  a won- 
der of  ages;  yet  so  light  it  seems,  so  airy,  and  when  seen 
from  a distance,  so  like  a fabric  of  mist  and  sunbeams, 
with  its  great  dome  soaring  up,  a silvery  bubble,  about  to 


102 


THE  ORIENT 


burst  in  the  sun,  that,  even  after  you  have  touched  it,  and 
climbed  it  to  its  summit,  you  almost  doubt  its  reality. 
Stern,  unimaginative  persons  have  been  known  to  burst 
suddenly  into  tears  on  entering  it,  and  whoever  can 
behold  the  Taj  without  feeling  a thrill  that  sends  moisture 
to  his  eye,  has  no  sense  of  beauty  in  his  soul.” 

Another  author  says  of  the  Taj:  “View  the  Taj  at  a 
distance.  It  is  as  the  spirit  of  some  happy  dream,  dwell- 
ing dim,  but  pure,  upon  the  horizon  of  your  hope,  and 
reigning  in  virgin  supremacy  over  the  visible  circle  of 
the  earth  and  sky.  Approach  it  nearer,  and  its  gran- 
deur appears  unlessened  by  the  acuteness  of  its  fabric, 
and  swelling  in  all  its  fresh  and  fairy  harmony  until  you 
are  at  a loss  for  feelings  worthy  of  its  presence.  Ap- 
proach still  nearer,  and  that  which,  as  a whole,  has 
proved  so  charming,  is  found  to  be  equally  exquisite  in 
the  minutest  detail.  Here  are  no  mere  touches  for  dis- 
tant effect.  Here  is  no  need  to  place  the  beholder  in  a 
particular  spot  to  cast  a partial  light  upon  the  perform- 
ance; the  work  which  dazzles  with  its  elegance  at  the 
coup  cT  ceil  will  bear  the  scrutiny  of  the  microscope ; the 
sculpture  of  the  panels,  the  fretwork  and  mosaic  of  the 
screen,  the  elegance  of  the  marble  pavement,  the  perfect 
finish  of  every  jot  and  iota,  are  as  if  the  meanest  archi- 
tect had  been  one  of  those  potent  genii  who  wereof}'ore 
compelled  to  adorn  the  palaces  of  necromancers  and 
kings.” 

Such  is  the  Taj  Mahal,  a vision  in  marble  and  gems, 
“raised  by  a Muhammedan  emperor  over  his  dream  of 
love — the  wife  who  died  more  than  two  hundred  years 
ago,  when  Christian  kings  and  emperors  were  sent  into 
dark  and  ‘weeping  vaults’ — ‘the  longest  weepers  for 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


103 


their  funerals’ — with  no  ornaments  save  spiders’  webs.” 

The  cost  of  the  Taj  was  upwards  of  twenty  millions 
of  dollars,  gold.  For  about  twenty  years  some  twenty 
thousand  workmen  were  employed  upon  it,  the  majority 
of  whom  received  but  an  allowance  of  com  daily  for  their 
labor.  The  Persian  manuscript  history  of  the  death  of 
the  Empress,  and  of  the  building  of  the  Taj,  states  that 
one  Isa  Muhammed  Effendi,  of  Turkey,  was  the  archi- 
tect. A French  account  gives  the  name  of  Austin  De 
Bordeaux  as  the  architect  of  the  Taj,  and  also  of  the 
palaces  at  Dilhi  and  Agra. 

THE  TOMB  OF  ETMAD-UD-DOULAH. 

This  tomb,  like  the  Taj,  beautiful  beyond  aU  descrip- 
tion, was  built  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  by 
Nur  Jehan — the  light  of  the  world — to  the  memory  of 
her  honored  father,  who  was  the  Premier  of  the  great 
Emperor  Akbar.  Niir  Jehan  was  the  wife  of  the  Prince 
Selim,  of  Moore’s  “Lalla  Rookh.”  It  was  at  first  her 
intention  to  build  the  tomb  of  her  father  of  silver,  but 
she  was  dissuaded  from  so  costly  an  undertaking  by  the 
assurance  that  marble  would  prove  more  durable,  and 
be  less  likely  to  be  destroyed  by  avaricious  rulers  or 
plundering  thieves.  Dr.  Butler,  in  the  “Land  of  the 
Veda,”  thus  describes  this  marvelous  structure: 

“The  building,  rising  from  a broad  platform,  is  of 
white  marble,  of  quadrangular  shape,  flanked  by  octa- 
gonal towers,  which  are  surmounted  by  cupolas,  on  a 
series  of  open  columns.  From  the  center  of  the  roof  of 
the  main  building  springs  a small  tomb-like  structure, 
elaborately  carved  and  decorated,  the  corners  termina- 
ting in  golden  spires.  Immediately  below  this,  on  the 


104 


THE  OniEET 


floor  of  the  hall,  is  the  tomb  inclosing  the  body  of 
Etmad-ud-Doulah.  Interiorly  and  exteriorly  this  fairy 
pile  is  covered,  as  with  beautiful  lace,  by  lattice-work, 
dehcately  wrought  in  marble,  covered  with  foliage  and 
flowers,  and  intermingled  with  scrolls  bearing  passages 
from  the  Koran.  Each  slab  of  white  marble  is  wrought 
in  rich  tracery  in  the  most  delicate  manner,  pierced 
through  and  through  so  as  to  be  the  same  when  seen 
from  either  side ; the  pattern  of  each  slab  difters  from  the 
next  one,  and  the  rich  variety,  as  well  as  beauty  of  the 
designs,  fixes  the  attention  of  the  beholder,  in  amazement 
at  the  taste  and  patient  skill  that  could  originate  and  exe- 
cute this  vision  of  beauty,  which  seems  like  an  imagina- 
tion rising  before  the  fancy,  and  then  by  some  wondrous 
wand  of  power,  transmuted  into  a solid  form  forever,  to 
be  touched,  examined,  and  admired.  Standing  within 
the  shrine,  it  seems  as  though  it  was  covered  with  a rich 
veil,  wrought  in  curious  needlework,  every  ray  of  light 
that  enters  coming  through  the  various  patterns.  You 
approach  and  touch  it,  and  find  it  is  of  white  marble,  two 
inches  in  thickness  ! 

THE  MOTI  MASJID. 

Of  all  the  mosques  in  India,  the  Moti  Masjid,  or  Pearl 
Mosque,  stands  without  a rival.  There  is  probably  no 
mosque  more  perfect  in  every  particular,  in  the  world. 
As  I stood  under  its  graceful  arches,  among  its  delicate 
pillars,  and  noted  the  exquisite  carvings  of  fruits  and 
flowers  with  which  they  were  covered,  I was  thankful 
that  one  religion  understood  and  acted  upon  the  most 
iteral  meaning  of  the  command,  “Thou  shalt  not  make, 
unto  thee  any  graven  image.”  However  beautiful,  pure 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


105 


or  perfect  it  may  be,  the  representation  of  the  human 
form  must  always  be  a representation  of  that  to  which 
sin  is  possible;  the  graven  animal  is  the  image  of  that 
which  wars  and  devours.  In  the  Pearl  Alosque,  the 
sense  of  perfect  beauty,  symmetry  and  purity,  without 
the  remotest  hint  of  passion  or  sin,  makes  it  unrivalled  as 
a place  of  worship.  A writer  has  beautifully  described  it : 

“No  creed  possesses  a place  of  worship  expressing  a 
more  exalted  or  purer  spirit  of  dev^otion  than  the  Moti 
Masjid.  To  its  glittering  white  domes,  crowned  with 
gold,  and  its  long  silent  marble  aisles,  the  opening  hne  of 
Wordsworth’s  sonnet  has  been  applied : 

‘Quiet  as  a nun,  breathless  with  adoration.’ 

Nor  has  human  love  ever  raised  a more  beautiful  memo- 
rial of  its  joy  and  sorrow  than  the  dream  in  marble  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jumna. 

The  Moti  Masjid  stands  as  perfect  as  the  day  when 
the  scaftbldings  were  removed,  and  the  sculptors  turned 
to  gaze  upon  their  completed  work.  ‘A  distant  view  of 
it  presents  three  domes,  seen  like  silvery  bubbles  which 
have  rested  a moment  on  its  walls,  and  which  the  next 
breeze  will  sweep  away.’  Entering,  you  hnd  yourself  in 
a spacious  enclosure  of  white  marble,  beyond  which  a 
step  or  two  takes  you  into  the  Mosque  proper,  a broad 
pavilion  of  several  aisles,  separated  by  rows  of  columns 
which  support  the  roof.  Everything  is  the  purest  white 
marble — floor,  pillars,  roof.  Y ou  can  see  nothing  else — 
glittering,  polished  marble  everywhere.  It  is  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  feet  long  by  fifty-six  deep;  but  the 
plUars,  revealing  the  perspective,  and  the  uniformity  of 
color,  preserving  the  line  of  vision  from  interruption, 
heighten  the  efiect.  It  is  not  its  size,  however,  but  the 


106 


TUE  ORIEET 


wonderful  perfection  of  its  proportions,  and  the  marvel- 
ous combination  of  simplicity  and  grace,  that  strike  every' 
beholder.  When  I first  saw  it,  I felt  quite  overwhelmed 
with  delight  and  surprise.  I had  never  been  so  struck 
by'  any'  building,  not  even  by*  the  Taj.  In  the  Mod  Mas- 
jid  nothing  calls  for  your  wonder  or  admiration  but  true 
architectural  beauties;  whereas,  in  the  Taj,  one  might  be 
overcome  alone  by'  the  great  evidences  of  human  labor, 
and  by'  the  vast  wealth  of  gems  and  marble . During 
the  mutiny'  this  mosque  was  used  as  a hospital,  but  came 
out  of  the  ordeal  unscathed.  Even  the  British  soldier 
refrained  from  injuring  it,  either  by'  recording  his  valuable 
signature  on  its  walls,  or  chipping  off  fragments  to  pre- 
serve as  relics.  It  has  escaped  the  perils  of  war  and 
weather,  and  now  stands  as  perfect  and  lovely'  as  the  day 
on  which  it  was  completed — still  true  to  its  name,  ‘The 
Pearl  of  Mosques.’  ” 

The  Moti  Masjid,  and  the  Mosque  of  the  Zunana, 
built  after  the  same  pattern,  but  much  smaller,  are  the 
gems  in  the  gorgeous  and  costly'  setting  of  palaces,  audi- 
ence halls  and  gardens,  within  the  noble  walls  of  the 
Agra  fort. 

THE  JUMNA  MASJID  OF  DILHI. 

This  imposing  edifice  is  finely'  described  by'  Rev.  Nor- 
man iNIacleod;  “The  ground  on  which  the  Jumna  Mas- 
jid is  reared  was  originally'  a rocky'  eminence,  which 
has  been  scarped  and  leveled  on  the  summit,  thus  form- 
ing  a grand  natural  platform  for  the  building,  and  afford- 
ing space  for  an  open  square  of  fourteen  hundred  y'ards. 
This  square  has  three  great  entrances,  the  most  magnifi- 
cent being  toward  Mecca.  These  entrances  are 
approached  by'  noble  flights  of  stairs.  On  stepping  upon 


ITS  PEOPLE. 


107 


the  grand  square  the  sight  is  most  imposing.  We  tread 
upon  slabs  on  which  tens  of  thousands  of  worshippers 
can  kneel.  On  three  sides  are  airy,  arched  colonnades, 
with  seated  pavilions  at  intervals.  In  the  center  is  a 
marble  fountain  for  ceremonial  ablutions.  The  mosque 
itself  occupies  the  other  end  of  the  square,  and  is  in 
length  about  two  hundred  and  sixty-one  feet.  It  pos- 
sesses in  a wonderful  degree  richness  and  beauty  of  color, 
combined  with  strength,  and  grace,  and  simplicity,  and 
variety  of  form.”  Its  general  color  is  a deep  red,  from 
a hard  red  sandstone,  but  this  is  relieved  by  the  pure 
white  marble  of  the  domes,  the  balconies  upon  the  mina- 
rets, the  pillars  and  arches  within  the  mosque,  the  mar- 
ble steps  and  the  tablets  upon  which  are  inscribed  in 
black  marble,  texts  from  the  Koran. 

How  fresh,  bright  and  beautiful  is  the  Jumna  Masjid 
in  a climate  so  hot,  in  an  atmosphere  so  transparent,  and 
under  a sky  so  blue  and  cloudless  ! There  are  no  images 
or  pictures,  or  anything  to  catch  the  eye  or  distract  the 
attention;  only  the  pure  and  unadorned  marble,  har- 
monizing with  the  summer  sun  and  sky.  Here  thous- 
ands may  meet,  and  do  meet,  for  worship,  without  any 
distinction  of  rank,  in  any  dress,  at  any  hour,  and  on  any 
day,  for  seat  rents,  and  aristocratic  pews  for  the  rich 
only,  are  unknown.” 

THE  DEWANT  KHASS. 

This  magnificent  hall,  or  Great  Hall  of  Audience,  is 
the  gem  of  the  palaces  of  Dilhi,  and  was  erected  by 
Shah  Jehan,  the  Emperor,  who  erected  the  Taj  Mahal. 
It  is  two  hundred  and  eight  feet  long  and  seventy-six 
broad,  and  is  built  on  an  elevated  terrace,  all  formed  of 


108 


THE  ORIENT 


the  purest  and  most  highly  polished  white  marble.  The 
pillars  and  arches  supporting  the  roof,  are  of  the  most 
incomparable  grace  in  design  and  finish.  “Almost  every 
portion  of  the  pillars  and  arches  of  the  pavilion  is  cov- 
ered with  gilt  tracery,  or  inlaid  with  intricate  and  grace- 
ful designs  of  vines,  flowers,  fruit,  loliage,  and  arabesques, 
all  wrought  in  different  colored  stones,  as  lapis-lazuli, 
chalcedony,  garnet,  agate,  carnelian,  jasper,  heliotrope, 
amethyst,  topaz,  sard,  chlorite,  and  variegated  marbles; 
so  that  in  the  various  objects  represented,  all  the  colors  of 
nature  are  exactly  imitated;  and  so  skillfully  and  artisti- 
cally is  the  inla}’ing  done,  that  the  hand  fails  to  detect  any 
roughness  whatever  in  the  face  of  the  marble,  and  the 
eye  deceives  one  into  the  belief  that  the  mosaic  is  a beau- 
tiful painting,  depicted  on  the  white  canvas — like  sur- 
face !” 

Beneath  the  central  arch  of  the  pavilion  is  a low  plat- 
form of  marble,  on  which  once  stood  the  famous  Peacock 
Throne.  Steps  of  solid  silver  led  up  to  a chair  of  mas- 
sive gold,  over  which  hung  a canopy  of  gold,  set  with 
gems;  behind  the  throne  stood  a peacock,  with  tail 
spread,  formed  of  precious  stones  and  gems,  in  exact 
representation  of  the  natural  colors  of  the  bird,  and 
around  was  twined  a vine  of  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit, 
composed  of  precious  stones. 

Inside  the  entrance  to  the  Dewan  i Khass,  on  an  ala- 
baster slab,  is  the  famous  inscription: 

“If  there  is  a Paradise  on  earth, 

It  is  tliis,  it  is  tliis.” 

But  the  glor}"  of  the  Moguls  has  long  departed. 
The  Peacock  Throne  was  carried  into  Persia  more  than 
a hundred  }'ears  ago.  Where  once  the  gorgeous 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


101) 


pageant  waved  its  brilliant  banners  and  bowed  before  a 
mighty  Emperor,  where  once  Ambition,  pride,  love, 
hate,  lust,  pleasure,  intrigue  and  jealousy  found  expres- 
sion in  a thousand  hearts  and  voices,  now  a solemn  silence 
reigns,  broken  only  by  the  slow,  dull  tread  of  the  sentry, 
and  the  occasional  entrance  of  an  antiquary  or  traveler. 

THE  KUTUB  MINAR. 

This  tower  stands  some  ten  miles  from  Dilhi.  It  is 
about  one  hundred  and  forty-three  feet  in  circumference 
at  its  base,  and  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height, 
built  of  a hard  red  sandstone.  Four  projecting  galleries, 
at  the  respective  altitudes  of  ninety,  one  hundred  and 
forty,  one  hundred  and  eighty,  and  two  hundred  and 
three  feet,  divide  it  into  four  portions,  each  of  a different 
design.  The  lower  portion  has  round  and  angular 
flutings,  and  the  second  round  only,  while  the  third  has 
only  angular,  and  the  others  are  smooth.  A stair’with 
three  hundred  and  eighty  steps  winds  within,  and  leads 
to  the  summit,  from  which  a splendid  view  is  obtained. 

Near  the  base  are  many  inscriptions,  passages  from 
the  Koran,  and  an  account  of  the  builder.  Still  there  are 
various  opinions  as  to  who  built  it,  and  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  erected.  Some  claim  that  it  is  a column  of 
victory,  others  that  it  was  raised  for  the  pleasure  of  a 
princess,  and  others  seem  to  prove  that  it  was  one  of  the 
two  minarets  of  a magnificent  mosque,  the  remains  of 
which  are  at  the  base  of  the  Kutub,  but  which  on  account 
of  the  death  of  its  projector,  and  subsequent  wars,  was 
never  finished.  For  over  six  hundred  years,  it  has  stood 
unrivaled  by  any  pillar  in  tbe  world. 

NAKHOR  WATT. 

The  well  preserved  ruins  of  this  ancient  temple  are 


110 


THE  ORIENT 


found  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Siam,  in  Eastern 
India.  The  late  Henri  IMouhot,  a French  naturalist  and 
traveler,  sa}’S  of  it:  “This  temple  is  a rival  for  Solomon’s; 
grander  than  anything  left  us  by  Greece  or  Rome.” 
Another  writer  says,  “The  ruins  of  Nakhor  Watt  are  as 
imposing  as  the  ruins  of  Thebes  or  Memphis,  and  more 
mvsterious.” 

The  surroundings  of  the  temple  are  in  strange  con- 
trast with  its  magnificence,  the  country  being  wild  and 
uncultivated,  mostly  forest,  and  the  people  poor  and  igno- 
rant. From  the  midst  of  the  forest,  the  outer  wall,  which 
is  half  a mile  square,  is  approached  by  a great  causeway 
over  seven  hundred  feet  in  length,  built  across  the  moat 
that  surrounds  the  wall.  Inside  the  wall  a second  stone 
causeway  a thousand  feet  in  length  and  thirty  feet  wide, 
leads  to  the  main  entrance  of  the  edifice.  The  temple, 
and  the  three  immense  terraces  on  which  it  is  raised,  are 
all  of  stone,  and  so  closely  fitting  are  the  joints,  that  even 
now  they  are  scarcely  discernible.  The  building  is  seven 
hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  in  length,  and  five  hundred 
and  eight}'-eight  feet  in  width,  while  the  central  pagoda 
rises  some  two  hundred  feet. 

In  the  “Land  of  the  White  Elephant,”  Henry'  Vincent 
gives  an  elaborate  description  of  Nakhor  Watt,  accompa- 
nied by  many  fine  illustrations.  Of  the  interior  he  says: 

“Passing  between  low'  railings,  we  ascend  to  the  first 
terrace,  and  enter  the  temple  itself,  through  a columned 
portico,  the  facade  of  which  is  beautifully  carved  in 
basso-relievo,  w'ith  ancient  mythological  subjects.  From 
this  doorway,  on  either  side,  runs  a corridor  w'ith  a 
double  row'  of  columns,  cut,  base  and  capitol,  from  single 
blocks,  W'ith  a double,  oval-shaped  roof,  covered  with 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


Ill 


car\nng  and  consecutive  sculptures,  upon  the  outer  wall. 
This  gallery  of  sculptures,  which  forms  the  exterior  of 
the  temple,  consists  of  over  half  a mile  of  continuous  pic- 
tures, cut  in  basso-relievo  upon  sandstone  slabs  six  feet  in 
width,  and  represents  subjects  taken  from  Hindu  mythol- 
ogy. There  is  no  keystone  used  in  the  arch  of  this  cor- 
ridor, and  its  ceiling  is  uncarved.  On  the  walls  are 
sculptured  the  immense  number  of  one  hundred  thousand 
separate  figures — or  at  least  heads.  Weeks  might  be 
spent  in  studying,  identifying,  and  classifying  the  various 
subjects  of  this  wonderful  gallery.  There  are  seen  war- 
riors riding  upon  elephants,  and  in  chariots,  foot  soldiers 
with  shield  and  spear,  boats,  unshapely  divinities,  trees, 
monkeys,  tigers,  griffins,  hippopotami,  serpents,  fishes, 
crocodiles,  bullocks,  tortoises,  soldiers  of  immense  physi- 
cal development,  with  helmets,  and  some  people  with 
beards,  probably  Moors.  The  interior  of  the  quadrangle 
bounded  by  this  corridor  is  filled  with  galleries — halls, 
formed  with  huge  columns,  crossing  one  another  at  right 
angles.  In  Nakhor  Watt  over  fifteen  hundred  solid  col- 
umns have  been  counted,  and  among  the  ruins  of  Ang- 
kor there  are  reported  to  be  the  immense  number  of  six 
thousand,  almost  all  of  them  hewn  from  single  blocks, 
and  artistically  carved.” 

Upon  the  second  great  terrace  are  roofed  galleries 
similar  to  the  first,  but  these  are  filled  with  hundreds  of 
images  of  stone,  wood,  brass,  clay,  of  all  shapes  and 
sizes  and  ages,  some  said  to  be  fourteen  hundred  years 
old.  Forty  feet  above  this  is  the  third  terrace,  with  its 
galleries  crossing  each  other  in  the  center,  above  which 
rises  the  grand  central  pagoda.  Upon  the  four  sides  of 
the  base  of  the  highest  spire  are  colossal  images  of 


112 


THE  ORIENT 


Buddha,  made  of  plaster,  and  other  smaller  divinities  in 
various  positions.  These  figures  of  Buddha  are  grandl}’’ 
placed,  for  when  the  doors  of  the  enclosing  rooms  are 
opened,  from  their  high  position  the}'  overlook  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  priests  of  Nakhor  Watt  worship 
here  at  the  present  day. 

“Neither  history  nor  tradition  can  throw  any  light  on 
the  origin  or  age  of  these  wonderful  specimens  of  arch- 
itecture. The  present  generation  of  Cambodians  and 
Siamese  are  as  ignorant  on  these  questions  as  their 
antipodes,  and  if  questioned  as  to  the  founders  of  this 
magnificent  temple,  they  will  say,  ‘The  giants  built  it.’ 
‘It  made  itself,’  and  ‘If  man  built  it,  it  must  have  been 
built  by  a race  of  more  power  and  skill  than  any  to  be 
found  now.’  ” Everything  about  the  temple  indicates 
great  age,  probably  at  least  a thousand  years.  The 
conjectures  about  it  are  many,  but  until  an  inscription  in 
the  Cambodian  character  upon  a tablet  of  black  marble 
is  read,  one  which  scholars  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
decipher,  nothing  definite  concerning  the  origin  of  this 
temple  can  be  known. 

THE  CAVE  TEMPLES. 

The  cave  temples  of  Elora,  near  the  west  coast  of 
India,  are  some  of  the  most  remarkable  of  this  class  of 
architecture  in  India.  “One  of  these  temples,  called 
Kylas,  or  the  paradise  of  Sheva,  is  a temple  formed  of  a 
single  rock,  which  is  an  integral  part  of  the  mountain,  in 
an  e.xcavated  court  247  feet  long  and  150  feet  wide.  The 
walls  of  this  court  are  the  rock  in  which  the  excavation 
is  made,  and  they  vary  in  height  from  fifty  to  one  hun- 
dred feet.  In  the  center  of  this  court  is  the  grand  tem- 
ple, one  hundred  and  forty-two  feet  long,  sixty  feet  wide. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


113 


and  ninety  feet  high  to  the  apex.  In  this  temple  is  one 
large  room,  with  sixteen  pillars  to  support  the  superin- 
cumbent mass  of  rock.  There  are  also  many  small 
rooms  and  shrines.  The  outside  of  this  temple  is  entirely 
covered  with  sculptured  figures  representing  actions  and 
events  described  in  the  Purans.  This  temple,  with  its 
rooms,  haUs,  galleries,  shrines,  images  and  courts,  con- 
sists of  the  original  rock  of  the  mountain,  reduced  to 
their  present  state  and  form  internally  and  externally,  by 
excavating  and  sculpture.  The  genius,  skill  and  labor 
exhibited  in  its  design  and  execution,  place  it  among  the 
most  remarkable  works  of  any  age  or  nation.” 

Near  this  temple  are  many  other  large  temples,  any 
one  of  which,  if  found  in  Europe  or  America,  would  be 
regarded  with  the  greatest  curiosity  and  admiration. 

At  Adjunta,  some  thirty  miles  from  Elora,  are  twenty- 
seven  cave  temples  of  great  magnificence,  and  most  im- 
pressive in  their  solemn  vastness  and  grandeur.  The 
Elephanta  temples,  near  Bombay,  are  wonderful  for  size, 
images  and  ornamentation.  They  are  the  best  known 
in  India,  These  temples  are  probably  of  Brahminical 
origin,  those  of  Elora  and  Adjunta  Buddhistic,  while 
in  some  the  gods  of  both  religions  are  found.  The 
purely  Buddhist  cave  temples  are  supposed  to  have  been 
excavated  some  two  hundred  years  before  the  Christian 
era,  and  those  of  the  Brahmins  about  the  eighth  or  ninth 
century  after  Christ.  The  skill  and  labor  expended  upon 
them  seems  all  the  more  striking,  as  gunpowder  was 
then  unknown,  and  the  amount  of  patient  picking  out 
the  rock  necessary  for  such  gigantic  results,  seems  almost 
past  belief  The  cave  temples  are  now  deserted  and 
silent,  and  the  rites  and  ceremonies  once  performed  in 


114 


THE  ORIENT 


them  forgotten.  The  mountains  of  Cashmere  are  said 
to  contain  some  twelve  thousand  cave  temples. 

These  are  but  specimens  of  the  architectural  beauties 
and  wonders  of  India.  All  over  the  plains  are  mosques, 
tombs,  temples,  and  palaces  of  great  beauty,  wealth,  or 
picturesqueness,  which  contrast  strongly  with  the  ordi- 
nary thatched  mud  houses  of  the  mass  of  the  population. 
At  Umritser,  in  Northern  India,  is  a great  marble  Sikh 
temple,  built  in  the  center  of  an  immense  tank.  The 
roof  of  the  main  temple  is  covered  with  sheets  of  gold. 
The  ruins  of  the  old  city  of  Dilhi,  that  for  centuries  was 
the  imperial  city  of  India,  extend  over  eighty  miles  in 
length,  among  which  ma\'  be  found  many  beautiful 
remains  of  once  handsome  palaces  and  tombs.  In  Central 
India  are  many  magnificent  buildings,  particularly  tombs 
of  kings.  Benares,  the  holy  city  of  India,  is  said  to 
contain  over  one  thousand  Hindu  temples,  many  of  them 
being  large  and  very  wealthy. 

The  architecture  of  the  Hindus,  compared  with  the 
Saracenic  style,  seems  heavy  and  forbidding.  The 
Hindu  temples  of  Northern  India,  whether  large  or 
small,  are  all  built  upon  one  plan,  the  square  windowless 
base  and  pyramidal  top,  with  bevelings  and  strange 
combinations  of  color  in  the  paintings  of  animals,  and 
stripes  and  cabalistic  signs  on  the  outside.  In  Southern 
India  there  are  man}'  fine  large  temples,  in  lighter  and 
more  pleasing  styles  of  architecture. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


115 


THE  RELIGIONS  OF  INDIA. 

Mankind  are  all  necessarily  religious.  They  cannot 
avoid  being  so.  The  religious  element  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  parts  of  man’s  nature.  As  he  was  cre- 
ated with  a capacity  and  need  of  religious  life  and 
thought,  he  must  satisfy  this  natural  desire,  or  in  propor- 
tion as  he  neglects  it,  he  injures  his  manhood  and  de- 
grades his  life.  A plant  that  by  its  creation  needs  all 
the  light  and  warmth  of  the  sun  it  can  get,  cannot  come 
to  full  maturity  in  darkness.  Neither  can  man  shut  out 
the  light  that  his  soul  needs  and  by  which  alone  it 
grows,  without  being  dwarfed,  until  through  the  shad- 
ows of  unbelief  he  comes  into  the  darkness  of  spiritual 
death. 

There  is  a revelation  given  to  all  mankind  directly  by 
the  Creator  himself  Not  a soul  is  destitute  of  it.  “He 
is  that  Light  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into 
the  world,”  so  every  one  knows  the  way  and  is  responsi- 
ble. If  we  believe  that  there  is  an  Infinite  God,  the  Cre- 
ator of  all  things,  the  Judge  of  all  men,  to  whom  all 
men — even  the  most  degraded — are  accountable  for 
their  actions  in  this  life,  and  that  this  God  is  just  and 
righteous  altogether,  we  must  necessarily  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  He  has  given  and  does  give  to  everyone 
light,  a knowledge  of  right  and  wrong,  and  also  provides 
a way  ofescape  from  the  penalties  of  sin,  and  that  God,  in 
His  perfection  of  love,  wisdom,  and  power,  has  done  all 


116 


THE  ORIENT 


that  He  could  do  for  mankind.  The  fault  must  inevitably 
be  in  men  and  not  of  God,  that  they  are  what  they  are. 

Histor}’  and  the  experience  of  travelers  throughout 
the  world  show  that  mankind  are  universally  conscious 
of  a Supreme  Being,  and  that  however  unchdlized  and 
barbarous,  they  know  right  from  wrong,  and  that  they 
have  sinned  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  is  above  all  others. 
Man  is  a sinner,  and  he  knows  it.  His  religion  may 
range  from  the  highest  spiritual  t}’pe  to  the  grossest 
form  of  Paganism,  yet  its  object  is  to  get  rid  of  the  pen- 
alties of  sin  and  appease  the  wrath  of  an  offended  God 
or  gods. 

Dr.  Livingstone,  in  his  last  Journal,  states  that  he 
did  not  find  a tribe  in  Central  Africa  but  had  some  form 
of  religious  worship.  While  in  India  I was  particular  in 
my  inquiries  to  find,  if  possible,  one  who  had  no  idea  of 
God,  of  sin,  or  his  moral  responsibilit}".  On  the  borders 
of  Tibet,  among  a people  who  had  never  been  away 
from  their  mountain  homes,  and  on  the  plains,  among 
the  lowest  and  most  ignorant,  I never  found  one  person 
who  did  not  know  that  he  was  a sinner  and  needed  to 
be  saved  from  his  sins. 

Assertions  have  been  made  that  tribes  have  been 
found  in  different  parts  of  the  world  without  a knowledge 
of  God  and  destitute  of  the  moral  sense,  but  further  in- 
vestigations have  proved  the  falsit}'  of  these  statements. 
The  justice  of  God  first  and  the  truth  of  His  written  as 
well  as  unwritten  revelation,  are  to  be  accepted  before  the 
base  insinuations  of  His  enemies.  It  would  be  as  con- 
sistent to  deny  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  sun  all  over 
our  planet,  as  to  doubt  the  spiritual  light  and  influence 
directly  from  God  upon  the  souls  of  all  mankind.  The 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


117 


Arctic  regions  are  cold,  but  they  would  be  colder  were 
there  no  sun.  There  rnay  be  blindness,  gross  depravity, 
and  terrible  cruelty  among  certain  portions  of  our  race, 
but  they  would  be  worse  still  had  God  utterly  left  them. 

It  is  not  exalting  God  to  limit  Him  to  a few  people  called 
Christians,  or  to  confine  Him  to  certain  portions  of  the 
earth.  He  is  God  over  all,  blessed  forever. 

A mistaken  opinion  is  held  by  many  people  in  Chris- 
tian lands  in  regard  to  the  heathen.  Because  they  are 
heathenish  in  their  religion  they  are  supposed  to  lack  the 
faculties  of  Christian  humanity,  and  to  be  deficient  in  all 
that  pertains  to  ciwlization.  It  is  not  best  or  just  to 
make  the  heathen  out  worse  than  they  really  are.  As  it 
is,  they  are  bad  enough,  and  so  are  we  all.  If  they  are 
so  utterly  depraved  and  lost  that  God  has  forsaken  them, 
why  should  Christians  waste  their  time  and  money  in 
trying  to  redeem  them?  If  the  soil  is  barren,  that  noth- 
ing will  grow,  why  waste  the  seed  upon  it  ? On  the  oth- 
er hand,  if  the  heathen  have  some  good  traits  that  win 
our  sympathy  and  admiration,  why  not  give  them  prop- 
er credit,  and  why  should  we  withhold  our  aid  from 
them  any  more  than  we  should  refuse  to  assist  the  needy  j 
and  degraded  right  among  us  ? 

Once,  after  making  a missionary  address,  I was  told  by 
a minister  that  I must  not  speak  too  well  of  the  heathen, 
but  tell  more  crocodile  stories  and  excite  the  sympathies 
of  the  church,  and  so  get  them  to  give  to  the  missionary 
cause.  He  meant  well,  and  knew  the  people  with  whom 
he  had  to  deal,  but  he  should  have  had  more  respect 
for  honesty  and  truth,  if  he  had  none  for  the  heathen. 
The  majority  of  people,  even  Christians,  are  too  ready  to 
find  some  excuse  for  not  parting  with  their  money.  If 


118 


THE  ORIENT 


told  that  the  heathen  are  degraded,  depraved,  without  a 
knowledge  of  God,  and  lost,  these  miserly  souls  say  that 
they  are  not  worth  saving;  that  the  more  we  enlighten 
them  the  worse  they  are  oft';  and  when  told  of  the  good 
traits  of  these  people,  they  reply  that  they  are  doing  well 
enough,  and  it  is  not  worth  while  to  help  them  when  we 
have  so  many  heathen  at  home. 

Our  race  has  so  many  characteristics  and  peculiarities 
in  common,  that  it  is  a wonder  any  one  ever  doubted  its 
unity  or  common  origin.  God  has  created  all  humanity,  and 
endowed  them  with  certain  faculties,  powers  and  aspira- 
tions, that  unite  them  in  one  great  family,  aU  round  the 
world. 

Men  in  Christian  countries  may  be  infidels,  blasphe- 
mous, licentious,  and  very  wicked,  and  }^et  be  learned  in 
science,  art  and  literature,  and  there  are  those  in  heathen 
lands  as  learned  as  the  former,  yet  bigoted  idolaters,  and 
of  licentious  and  depraved  character.  By  natural  endow- 
ment as  well  as  by  lack  of  spiritual  life,  they  are  the 
same.  There  are  men  and  also  women  walking  the 
streets  of  our  Christian  cities  that  are  very  like  people 
of  heathen  tribes,  and  but  little  paint  or  change  of  char- 
acter would  be  necessar}'^  to  make  the  resemblance  com- 
plete; while  in  almost  every  heathen  country  where 
Christianity  has  gone  there  are  people  who  by  the  grace 
of  God,  through  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  are  as  pure, 
noble  and  good  as  any  found  in  Christian  lands. 

Heathenism  in  Christian  countries  is  no  better  nor 
worse  than  it  is  in  heathen  lands,  and  except  what 
Christianity  has  done  for  portions  of  mankind,  the  whole 
race  is  morally  alike,  and  on  the  same  plane. 

The  inhabitants  of  India  are,  without  a doubt,  the  most 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


119 


religious  people  on  the  earth.  From  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  all  are  worshippers.  The  mosques  and  temples 
are  as  numerous  in  proportion  as  churches  are  in  Chris- 
tian countries.  A number  of  times  a day  the  muezzin 
calls  the  followers  of  the  prophet  to  prayer,  while  the 
Brahmin  in  the  temples  all  day  long,  and  far  into  the 
night,  chant  their  monotonous  praises  of  their  gods,  and 
perform  the  endless  routine  of  ceremonies  prescribed  in 
their  religious  books.  There  are  over  one  hundred 
religious  days  in  a year,  on  which  the  people  assemble 
at  their  sacred  places  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  and 
sometimes  by  millions,  traveling  hundreds  of  miles  with 
great  inconvenience  and  sacrifice.  The  roads  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  are  thronged  with  pilgrims.  The 
people  there  cannot  comprehend  how  a person  can  live 
and  not  be  religious.  Their  simplicity  and  earnestness 
in  their  religious  rites,  and  their  devotion  to  their  false 
gods,  is  a constant  reproach  to  infidelity,  and  the  indiffer- 
ence of  people  who  profess  to  believe  in  and  worship  the 
only  true  and  living  God.  They  are  never  ashamed  to 
own  their  gods,  nor  embarrassed  in  their  worship,  pray- 
ers, or  religious  observances.  They  wall  readily  sacrifice 
everj-thing,  even  life  itself,  for  the  sake  of  their  religion. 
Their  faith,  zeal,  and  devotion  are  astonishing,  and  for 
which  we  must  give  them  great  credit,  while  we  wonder 
at  their  credulity,  lament  their  folly,  laugh  at  the  gro- 
tesque absurdities,  and  denounce  indignantly  the  accursed 
idolatry  that  can  so  enslave  and  degrade  so  noble  a people. 

The  descendants  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  India,  for 
more  than  three  thousand  years  have  maintained  their 
distinctive  peculiarities,  and  between  them  and  the  people 
of  other  immigrations,  there  is  a diversity  of  race, 


120 


THE  ORIENT 


features,  habits  and  language,  as  well  as  in  their  religious 
rites  and  ceremonies. 

They  believe  in  the  existence  of  one  Supreme  Being, 
self-existent,  the  Source  and  Creator  of  all  things,  but  to 
comprehend  that  this  Being  would  condescend  to  arrange 
and  superintend  all  the  minor  affairs  and  events  transpir- 
ing in  the  world,  seems  to  have  been  foreign  to  their 
ideas  of  God. 

Like  many  other  classes  in  India,  they  thought  that  the 
affairs  of  men  and  the  world  were  too  trifling  to  occupy 
the  attention  of  the  Almighty,  and  rather  than  trouble 
Himself  with  these  things.  He  created  a number  of  infe- 
rior deities  to  perform  these  duties. 

The  Oriental  idea  of  supreme  bliss  is  complete  relief 
from  toil  and  anxiety,  a perpetual  rest  of  body  and  mind, 
and  for  God  or  any  one  else  to  exert  themselves  when 
not  obliged  to  do  so,  is  repugnant  to  their  thoughts  and 
feelings. 

Contending  with  rude  nature  for  existence,  without 
leisure  or  inclination  to  rise  above  what  was  immediately 
connected  with  themselves,  and  seeing  extraordinary  oc- 
currences and  meeting  obstructions  and  impending  evils 
on  every  hand,  they  traced  without  hesitation  every  oper- 
ation of  nature,  and  every  remarkable  effect  to  some  par- 
ticular cause,  and  allotted  to  each  of  these  a deity.  These 
inferior  gods  are  of  various  grades,  according  to  their 
origin,  attributes  and  authority,  of  unlimited  number, 
guarding  every  mountain,  hill,  forest,  stream,  and  ham- 
let, cognizant  of  every  human  event  and  action,  and  pre- 
siding over  every  movement  in  the  natural  world,  and 
• every  department  of  civil  or  domestic  life.  They  could 
assume  any  shape  or  color,  and  yet  be  invisible  to  men. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


121 


and  were  subject  to  all  the  passions  of  mankind.  Be- 
side these,  demons  or  evil  spirits,  ghosts,  serpents, 
wild  beasts,  storms,  and  malignant  diseases,  are  invoked 
as  gods  in  prayers  and  appeased  by  offerings.  The 
shedding  of  blood  is  indispensable  in  their  oblations,  no 
religious  or  domestic  ceremony  being  complete  without 
the  sacrifice  of  some  animal,  while  fruit,  dowers,  and 
grain  are  given  for  the  enjoyment  of  their  divinities.  Hu- 
man sacrifices  were  numerous,  until  lately  prohibited  by 
the  English  government.  Their  temples  are  generally 
very  small  and  of  the  rudest  construction,  usually  built 
in  out-of-the-way  places,  and  believed  to  be  occupied  by 
the  demons  or  gods  for  whom  they  were  erected.  Dur- 
ing a journey  on  the  mountain,  I one  day  noticed  several 
small  structures  at  one  of  the  passes.  They  were  built 
of  stone,  about  four  feet  square  and  three  feet  high,  cov- 
ered with  a flat  stone,  with  an  opening  in  one  side  large 
enough  for  a dog  to  enter.  In  each  of  these  kennels 
were  several  slender  iron  rods,  each  about  a foot  in 
length,  stuck  in  a row  in  the  ground.  One  of  them  was 
like  a fork  or  trident  with  three  prongs.  Near  these 
rods  on  the  ground  were  handfuls  of  grain,  placed  there 
by  some  traveler.  In  front  of  these  structures,  there  had 
been  a Are,  and  near  a partly  burned  log  there  were  sev- 
eral small  rods  of  iron  sticking  in  the  ground.  One  of 
these  had  a thin  iron  plate,  about  four  inches  square, 
fastened  to  its  upper  end,  the  edge  of  the  blade  was  bent 
over  half  an  inch,  and  notched  like  a saw.  In  reph'  to 
my  enquiries,  my  head  man  said  that  the  temples  were 
for  Shaitan  (Satan)  in  which  he  might  rest  and  refresh 
himself  with  the  grain  and  fruit.  “But  what  is  that  iron 
with  the  notched  teeth  for  ?”  “Why,”  said  he,  “that  is 


122 


THE  ORIEET 


for  Shaitan,  when  he  sits  upon  the  log,  to  scratch  his 
back  with.”  I concluded  I had  found  the  origin  of  the 
term  “Old  Scratch,”  as  applied  to  the  devil. 

On  this  journey,  as  we  frequently  came  to  precipitous 
places  where  there  were  clefts  in  the  rocks,  the  men 
devoutly  placing  the  palms  of  their  hands  together,  and 
raising  them  to  their  foreheads,  would  bow,  muttering 
a prayer  or  invocation  to  the  evil  spirit  or  deity  they 
believed  resided  there. 

Devil  worship  is  very  common  in  Southern  India,  sev- 
eral millions  of  people  belonging  to  that  sect.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a description  of  demon-worship  by  Rev.  R. 
Caldwell,  an  eye-witness  of  tbe  scene: 

“When  the  preparations  are  complete,  and  the  devdl 
dance  is  about  to  commence,  the  music  is  at  first  com- 
paratively slow,  and  the  dancer  seems  impassive  and 
sullen;  and  he  either  stands  still  or  moves  about  in 
gloomy  silence.  Gradually,  as  the  music  becomes 
quicker  and  louder,  his  excitement  begins  to  rise.  Some- 
times, to  help  him  to  work  himself  up  into  a frenz\',  he 
uses  medicated  draughts,  cuts  and  lacerates  his  flesh  till 
the  blood  flows,  lasbes  himself  with  a huge  whip,  presses 
a burning  torch  to  his  breast,  drinks  the  blood  which 
flows  from  his  own  wounds,  or  drinks  the  blood  of  the 
sacrifice,  putting  the  throat  of  the  decapitated  goat  to 
his  mouth.  Then,  as  if  he  had  acquired  new  life,  he  be- 
gins to  brandish  his  stafl'  of  bells,  and  dance  with  a quick, 
but  wild,  unsteady  step.  Suddenly  the  ajflattis  descends. 
There  is  no  mistaking  that  glare,  or  those  frantic  leaps. 
He  snorts,  he  stares,  he  gyrates.  The  demon  has  now 
taken  bodily  possession  of  him,  and  though  he  retains 
the  power  of  utterance  and  of  motion,  both  are  under 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


123 


the  demon’s  control,  and  his  separate  consciousness  is  in 
abeyance.  The  bystanders  signalize  the  event  by  raising 
a long  shout,  attended  by  a peculiar  vibratory  noise, 
caused  by  the  motion  of  the  hand  and  tongue,  or  the 
tongue  alone.  The  devil  dancer  is  now  worshipped  as 
a present  deity,  and  every  bystander  consults  him  respect- 
ing his  disease,  his  wants,  the  welfare  of  his  absent  rel- 
atives, the  offerings  to  be  made  for  the  accomplishment 
of  his  wishes,  and,  in  short,  respecting  everything  for 
which  superhuman  knowledge  is  supposed  to  be  avail- 
able. As  the  devil-dancer  acts  to  admiration  the  part  of 
a maniac,  it  requires  some  experience  to  enable  a person 
to  interpret  his  dubious  and  unmeaning  replies,  his  mut- 
tered voices,  and  uncouth  gestures ; but  the  wishes  of  the 
parties  who  consult  him  help  them  greatly  to  interpret 
his  meaning. 

Sometimes  the  devil-dance  and  the  demoniacal  clair- 
voyance are  extemporized,  especially  when  the  mass  of 
the  people  are  peculiarly  addicted  to  devil-worship,  and 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  various  stages  of  the  process. 
In  such  cases,  if  a person  happens  to  feel  the  commence- 
ment of  the  shivering  fit  of  an  ague,  or  the  vertigo  of  a 
bilious  headache,  his  untutored  imagination  teaches  him 
to  think  himself  possessed.  He  then  sways  his  head 
from  side  to  side,  fixes  his  eyes  into  a stare,  puts  himself 
into  a posture,  and  begins  the  maniac  dance;  and  the 
bystanders  run  for  flowers  and  fruit  for  an  offering,  or  a 
cock  or  goat  to  sacrifice  to  his  honor. 

“The  night  is  the  time  usually  devoted  to  the  orgies 
of  devil-dancing;  particular  nights  being  appropriated 
to  the  worship  of  particular  devils.  And  as  the  number 
of  devils  worshipped  is,  in  some  districts,  equal  to  the 


124 


TEE  ORIEST 


number  of  the  worshippers,  and  every  act  of  worship  is 
accompanied  with  the  monotonous  din  of  drums  and  the 
bray  of  horns,  the  stillness  of  the  night,  especiall}-  during 
the  prevalence  of  cholera,  or  any  other  epidemical  dis- 
ease, is  frequently  broken  by  a dismal  uproar,  more 
painful  to  hear  on  account  of  the  associations  connected 
with  it,  than  on  accoimt  of  its  unpleasant  effect  on  the 
ear  and  nerves.” 

They  have  no  hereditary  priesthood,  but  sorcerers  and 
necromancers  take  the  lead  in  religious  matters.  They 
have  no  sacred  books,  and  each  locality  has  its  own  tra- 
ditions, legends,  deities,  and  ceremonies.  Though  they 
have  an  idea  of  a God  who  is  just  and  good.  He  is  not 
an  object  of  their  adoration,  but  their  worship  is  a low 
and  degrading  idolatry',  invested  with  gloom  and  terror; 
to  deprecate  and  avert  the  wrath  of  the  malignant  beings 
they  fear  and  despise,  rather  than  to  win  the  favor  and 
mercy  of  a God  of  infinite  power,  justice,  and  love.  The 
result  is  what  might  have  been  expected,  ignorance,  su- 
perstition, h}"pocrisy  and  fanaticism,  and  an  almost  total 
deprarity  in  everj-thing  that  pertains  to  the  happiness 
and  welfare  of  humanity. 

With  the  invasion  of  the  Aryan  or  Hindu  race,  the 
Vedi  system  of  religion  was  introduced.  This  is  founded 
on  the  teachings  of  various  sacred  books,  of  which  the 
first  and  most  highly  esteemed  are  the  Veds,  consisting 
of  four  books,  said  to  have  proceeded  from  the  mouth  of 
Brahm,  or  as  the  Vedantic  writers  say,  “The  self-e\fident 
word  proceeding  out  of  the  mouth  of  God,  this  is  the 
Ved.”  These  books  were  preserved  by  tradition,  until 
arranged  and  written  by  a sage  of  great  celebrity, 
called  Vvas,  about  fifteen  hundred  }'ears  before  the 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


125 


Christian  era.  There  are  fourteen  other  books,  called 
Purans,  or  as  they  might  be  styled,  commentaries  on  the 
doctrines  contained  in  the  Veds,  and  supposed  to  have 
been  composed  about  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 

These  eighteen  books  contain  every  sort  of  knowl- 
edge, religious,  philosophical,  scientific,  and  ethical. 
They  were  written  in  ancient  Sanskrit,  and  their  treat- 
ment of  the  different  subjects  is  very  obscure,  and  diffi- 
cult to  be  understood.  While  they  show  the  activity  of 
the  Hindu  mind  at  that  early  period,  they  are  at  present 
of  but  little  account. 

In  the  tenth  chapter  of  the  Rig  Ved,  which  is  most 
highly  esteemed  of  all  the  books,  are  the  following  passa- 
ges, translated  by  Colebrooke: 

“In  the  beginning  there  arose  the  source  of  golden 
light.  He  was  the  only  born  Lord  of  all  that  is.  He 
established  the  earth  and  this  sky.  Who  is  the  god  to 
whom  we  shall  offer  sacrifice  ?” 

“He  who  gives  life.  He  who  gives  strength ; whose 
blessing  all  the  bright  gods  desire;  whose  shadow  is 
immortality;  whose  shadow  is  death.  Who  is  the  god 
to  whom  we  shall  offer  our  sacrifice  ?” 

“He  who  through  his  power  is  the  only  king  of  the 
breathing  and  awakening  world.  He  who  governs  all, 
man  and  beast.  Who  is  the  god  to  whom  we  shall  offer 
our  sacrifice  ? 

“He  whose  power  these  snowy  mountains,  whose 
power  the  sea  proclaims,  with  the  distant  river.  He 
whose  these  regions  are,  as  it  were  his  two  arms.  Who 
is  the  god  to  whom  we  shall  offer  our  sacrifice  ? 

“He  through  whom  the  skj^  is  bright  and  the  earth 
firm.  He  through  whom  heaven  was  stablished;  nay, 


126 


THE  ORIENT 


the  highest  heaven.  He  who  measured  out  the  light  in 
the  air.  Who  is  the  god  to  whom  we  shall  offer  our 
sacrifice  ? 

“He  to  whom  heaven  and  earth,  standing  firm  bv  his 
will,  look  up  trembling  inwardly.  He  over  whom  the 
rising  sun  shines  forth.  Who  is  the  god  to  whom  we 
shall  offer  our  sacrifice  ? 

“Wherever  the  mighty  water  clouds  went,  where 
they  placed  the  seed  and  lit  the  fire,  thence  arose  he  who 
is  the  only  life  of  the  bright  gods.  Who  is  the  god  to 
whom  we  shall  offer  our  sacrifice  ? 

“He  who  by  his  might  looked  even  over  the  water- 
clouds,  the  clouds  which  gave  strength  and  lit  the  sacri- 
fice ; he  who  is  God  above  all  gods.  Who  is  the  god  to 
whom  we  shall  offer  our  sacrifice  ? 

“May  he  not  destro}’'  us — he  the  creator  of  the  earth 
— or  he,  the  righteous,  who  created  heaven;  he  who 
also  created  the  bright  and  mighty  waters.  Who  is  the 
god  to  whom  we  shall  offer  our  sacrifice 

In  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  same  book  is  this  pas- 
sage, that  is  much  admired: 

“Then  there  was  no  entitv  nor  nonentitv;  no  world,  no 
skv,  nor  aught  above  it;  nothing  anvwhere,  involving  or 
involved;  nor  water  deep  and  dangerous.  Death  was 
not,  and  therefore  no  immortality,  nor  distinction  of  day 
or  night.  But  That  One  breathed  breathless  by  itself, 
alone  with  Nature,  her  who  is  sustained  within  him. 
Other  than  Him  nothing  existed.  Darkness  there  was; 
this  universe  was  enveloped  with  darkness,  and  was  in- 
distinguishable waters ; but  that  mass  which  was  covered 
by  the  husk  was  produced  bv  the  power  of  contempla- 
tion. First  desire  was  formed  in  his  mind;  and  that 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


127 


became  the  original  productive  seed;  which  the  wise, 
recognizing  it  by  the  intellect  in  their  hearts,  distinguish 
as  the  bond  of  nonentity  with  entity. 

“Did  the  luminous  ray  of  these  (creative  acts)  expand 
in  the  middle,  or  above  or  below  ? That  productive 
energy  became  providence  (or  sentient  souls),  and  matter 
(or  the  elements);  nature,  who  is  sustained  within,  was 
inferior;  and  he  who  sustains  was  above. 

“Who  knows  exactly,  and  who  in  this  world  declare 
whence  and  why  this  creation  took  place  ? The  gods 
are  subsequent  to  the  production  of  this  world ; then  who 
can  know  whence  it  proceeded,  or  whence  this  varied 
world  arose,  or  whether  it  upholds  (itself)  or  not  ? He 
who  in  the  highest  heaven  is  the  ruler  of  this  universe, 
— he  knows  or  does  not  know.” 

The  religious  system  of  the  Veds  is  theistic,  but  teach- 
ing that  the  sun,  moon,  fire,  and  other  objects,  as  differ- 
ent manifestations  of  the  divine  Being,  or  as  superintend- 
ing powers,  and  all  resolvable  into  one  God,  the  soul  of 
the  universe,  are  worthy  of  adoration.  The  worship  of 
that  period  was  mostly  domestic,  in  the  houses  of  the 
people,  and  not  in  temples,  and  addressed  to  presences, 
but  not  to  idols. 

The  three  great  powers  of  divinity,  creation,  preserva- 
tion and  destruction,  were  represented  by  the  heat,  light 
and  ff  ame  of  the  sun,  comprehending  every  deity  or  pow- 
er, and  making  only  one  divinity  or  soul.  As  he  was 
the  beginning,  the  source  of  all  things,  so  will  he  be  the 
end,  into  whom  all  created  beings  and  things  shall  be 
absorbed.  “All  the  universe  is  Bruhm;  from  him  it 
springs;  into  him  it  is  dissolved;  in  him  it  breathes.” 
“This  divinity  is  fire;  he  is  the  sun;  he  is  the  wind;  he 


128 


THE  ORIEET 


is  the  moon.  This  divinity  is  the  brilliant  stars ; he  is 
Bruhm;  he  is  water;  he  is  the  Lord  of  all  creatures. 
Thou  art  woman ; thou  art  man ; thou  art  the  youth ; 
thou  art  all  things  born ; thou  hast  the  universe  for  thy 
face.  The  bee  with  dark  plumage  art  thou;  the  green 
bird  with  ruby  eye,  the  cloud,  the  womb  of  the  light- 
ning, the  seasons,  the  sea.  Thou  art  the  universe  and 
all  things  produced  in  it.”  “That  whence  aU  things  are 
produced;  that  by  which,  when  born,  they  live;  that 
towards  which  they  tend,  and  that  into  which  they  pass ; 
do  thou  seek  for;  that  is  Bruhm.” 

They  teach  that  there  is  no  separate  existence  from 
the  Infinite  spirit,  and  what  appears  to  be  such  is  due  to 
the  darkness  and  ignorance  of  the  human  mind,  and 
that  when  men  acquire  sufficient  light,  purity,  and  knowl- 
edge, this  maya  or  illusion  will  vanish,  and  they  will  lose 
a conscious  existence,  and  be  absorbed  into  Him  from 
whom  they  emanated — the  end  of  what  appears  to  be  life. 

The  most  important  deities  mentioned  in  the  Veds  are 
Indra,  god  of  the  firmament,  Vanina,  god  of  the  water, 
Ugni,  god  of  fire,  Surya,  the  sun;  Soma  or  Chandra,  the 
moon,  Vayu,  the  god  of  wind,  Maruts,  the  breezes 
attending  Indra,  Yuma,  the  judge  of  the  earth;  and 
hymns  were  addressed  to  the  Earth,  Sky,  Food,  Wine, 
Months,  Seasons,  Day,  Night,  and  Dawn,  and  during 
subsequent  ages,  the  number  of  these  deities  became 
almost  infinite.  The  Veds  do  not  teach  idolatry,  as  none 
of  their  objects  of  worship  were  represented  by  material 
forms,  but  were  addressed  as  abstractions,  or  personifica- 
tions of  powers  of  nature,  having  human  wants  and 
aspirations.  The  system  was  a religious  philosophy 
rather  than  a religion. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


129 


This  system  was  for  the  scholars  who  had  the  ability 
and  leisure  to  study  and  comprehend  it,  but  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  could  not  appreciate  the  Para  Bruhm 
or  Supreme  Being  of  the  Veds,  without  qualities  or 
attributes;  uni'onscious  even  of  his  own  existence,  with- 
out interest  in  the  affairs  of  men,  incapable  of  aiding 
those  who  appealed  to  him  for  help,  and  neither  to  be 
feared,  loved  or  worshipped;  and  the  philosophical  ab- 
stractions represented  as  deities  emanating  from  him, 
were  too  theoretical,  refined,  and  far  above  the  compre- 
hension of  the  common  people.  These  sought  after  and 
demanded  gods  whom  they  supposed  could  sympathize 
with  them  in  their  troubles,  supply  their  wants,  and  help 
them  in  their  necessities ; and  while  endowing  them  with 
supernatural  qualities,  they  also  attributed  to  them 
human  faculties,  passions,  and  frailties,  and  represented 
them  by  material  and  visible  objects.  The  study  of  the 
Veds  by  the  scholars  ended  in  Pantheism,  and  the  appli- 
cations of  the  principles  of  these  books  to  the  common 
people  resulted  in  idolatry.  The  result  was  that  the 
Vedic  hymns  were  soon  superseded  by  the  most  mar- 
velous legends  and  traditions,  which  were  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation,  among  different  classes 
of  people,  over  a vast  extent  of  country,  and  continually 
assumed  new  forms.  The  Brahmins,  the  sole  deposita- 
ries of  the  Veds,  were  obliged,  or  saw  it  was  for  their 
interest,  to  yield  to  the  popular  demands,  and  the  result 
was  the  grossest  idolatry  and  superstition. 

The  fioodgates  of  idolatry  were  opened,  for  if  it  was 
possible  for  men  to  create  one  god,  they  might  make 
many,  and  if  one  sect  could  have  its  special  deity,  others 
might  have  theirs.  With  the  increase  of  population, 


130 


THE  ORIENT 


and  their  separation  ov'er  the  entire  country,  new  sects 
were  constantly  formed,  who  retained  parts  of  the  orig- 
inal teachings,  or  changed  them  to  suit  their  own  notions, 
and  new  deities  for  every  purpose  imaginable  were 
invented.  To  show  how  easily  a new  idol  could  be 
raised  up,  even  in  modern  times. 

In  the  vicinity  where  I lived,  a carpenter  was  supposed 
to  be  able  to  prevent  small-pox.  Year  by  year  greater 
crowds  of  people  visited  him,  when  he  concluded  to 
erect  a temple,  and  placed  an  idol  in  it  called  Sitla, 
small-pox,  which  the  people  then  worshipped.  This 
man’s  son  was  living  at  the  time  I was  in  India,  and 
acted  as  priest  of  the  temple.  He  had  thrown  aside  his 
adze  and  plane,  making  more  money  by  his  idol  than  he 
could  have  done  by  his  trade.  On  one  day  of  each  year, 
from  fifty  to  eighty  thousand  people  came  to  worship 
this  idol,  believing  it  would  protect  themselves  and  their 
families  from  the  small-pox. 

At  the  celebrated  trial  of  Warren  Hastings  before  the 
British  Parliament,  his  defender,  endeavoring  to  show 
the  respect  the  natives  had  for  Mr.  Hastings,  stated  that 
they  had  erected  temples  to  him.  Mr.  Burke  replied 
that  there  was  nothing  astonishing  in  this.  He  knew 
that  the  Hindus  erected  shrines,  not  only  to  the  benignant 
gods  of  light  and  plenty,  but  also  to  the  fiends  who  pre- 
side over  small-pox  and  murder,  nor  did  he  dispute  the 
claim  of  Mr.  Hastings  to  be  admitted  into  such  a Pan- 
theon. 

In  the  attempt  to  humanize  the  doctrines  of  the  Veds, 
and  bring  them  within  the  comprehension  of  all  the 
people,  the  attributes  of  Bruhm,  as  Indra,  Surya,  and 
Ugni,  became  materialized,  as  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


131 


Shiv,  with  the  former  ideas  of  creation,  preservation,  and 
destruction  or  regeneration  connected  with  them,  but  in 
the  grossest  possible  manner.  Or  the  origin  of  this  triad 
may  have  been  in  this  wise:  The  people  were  already 
divided  into  classes.  Of  this  Aryan  race  were,  first,  the 
priests  or  scholars,  who  claimed  the  only  right  to  read 
and  interpret  the  Vedic  books;  second,  the  warrior  or 
soldier  class,  who  had  conquered  the  country  from  its 
original  inhabitants ; third,  the  cultivators  of  the  soil,  me- 
chanics and  merchants,  upon  whom  the  others  depended 
for  means  of  existence.  These  different  classes  claimed 
an  interest  in  the  Supreme  Being,  and  accordingly  one 
of  His  attributes,  the  nearest  allied  to  their  character  and 
occupation,  was  allotted  to  each  of  these  castes,  and  their 
origin  accounted  for  in  an  allegorical  way,  that  the  first, 
or  Brahmins,  sprang  from  the  mouth  of  Bruhm,  as  His 
teachers  to  mankind;  the  Kshetriyas  from  His  arms,  as 
His  arms  for  conquest  and  protection;  the  Vaisyasfrom 
His  thighs,  strong  to  labor  for  the  preservation  of  the 
race,  and,  lastly,  the  Shudras  or  aborigines,  though 
despised  by  the  other  castes,  were  allowed  to  claim  their 
origin  from  the  feet  of  Bruhm,  to  perform  the  menial 
services  required.  Thus  were  all,  high  caste  and  out- 
casts, made  members  of  the  one  body  of  God.  Each 
was  as  proud  of  his  origin  as  the  other,  and  even  at  the 
present  time,  in  India,  each  man  knows  his  own  place, 
and  however  inferior,  is  never  ashamed  to  own  his  caste, 
and  I never  found  one  so  low  but  knew  somebody  lower 
than  he  was,  whom  he  could  look  down  upon,  and 
despise. 

Although  this  trinity  of  gods  is  represented  as  derived 
from  one,  there  is  no  vmity  among  them,  as  there  is  no 


132 


THE  ORIENT 


harmony  or  likeness  in  their  character  or  actions,  each 
acting  in  direct  opposition  to  the  others;  the  Purans 
abounding  in  the  most  grotesque  descriptions  of  their 
conflicts. 

They  are  each  represented  as  having  a wife,  Saras- 
wati,  the  wife  ot  Brahma,  Laksmi  of  Vishnu,  and 
Durga  of  Shiv,  and  from  these  were  produced  “the  gods 
many  and  lords  many.”  Each  of  these  male  deities  is 
represented  as  riding  on  or  attended  by  an  animal  called 
a bahun,  that  of  Brahma  is  a goose  or  swan,  Vishnu’s 
a kind  of  half  bird  and  half  man,  and  Shiv’s  a bull. 

Brahma  is  described  as  a red  or  golden  faced  man, 
with  four  faces  and  four  arms,  riding  upon  a swan.  He 
has  no  place  in  the  popular  worship,  and  no  images  or 
temples  are  erected  in  his  honor.  The  Purans  state  that 
this  neglect  is  owing  to  a curse  by  the  other  gods  for 
falsehood.  He  at  first  had  fiv^e  heads,  but  Shiv,  whom  he 
had  traduced,  in  a rage  cut  ofl'  one  of  them.  He  is 
accused  of  intoxication,  incest,  adultery  and  falsehood, 
and  his  character  is  replete  with  lewdness  and  deceit. 

Vishnu  is  represented  as  a dark  or  blue  colored  man, 
clothed  in  yellow  garments,  holding  in  his  four  hands  a 
war  club,  a conch  shell,  a weapon  called  a chukra  (or 
discus)  and  a water  lily,  and,  seated  upon  his  bahun,  the 
figure  of  a man  with  the  wings  and  face  of  a bird.  He 
has  scarcely  a temple  or  festival,  but  is  everywhere  wor- 
shipped in  his  incarnations,  of  which  there  are  ten,  nine 
of  which  are  said  to  have  already  occurred.  The  first 
was  as  a fish,  “to  bring  up  the  Veds  from  the  bottom  of 
the  ocean  for  the  instruction  of  Brahma  on  his  entering 
on  the  work  of  creation ; the  second  as  a tortoise,  to  sup- 
port on  its  back  the  newly  created  earth,  the  Hindus 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


133 


Still  believ'ing  that  the  earth  rests  on  this  tortoise;  the 
third  as  a hoar,  which  descended  into  the  waters,  and 
with  its  tusks  brought  up  the  earth;  the  fourth  and  fifth 
as  a man  monster  and  a dwarf  for  the  destruction  of 
giants ; the  sixth,  as  a giant  to  overcome  the  Kshetriyas 
who  made  war  upon  the  Brahmins;  the  seventh  as 
Rama,  to  destroy  the  giant  Ravena,  King  of  Ceylon;  the 
eighth  as  Krishna,  for  the  destruction  of  giants;  the 
ninth  as  Budh,  to  teach  a false  religion,  through  which 
the  enemies  of  the  gods  might  be  confounded,  and  the 
tenth  is  yet  to  come  “on  a white  horse,  with  a scimetar, 
blazing  as  a comet,  to  mow  down  all  the  incorrigible 
and  impenitent.” 

Rama,  the  seventh  incarnation,  is  the  hero  of  the  poem 
Ramayana,  and  Krishna  is  the  principal  subject  of  the 
Mahabharat, 

Rama  is  invoked  on  all  occasions  by  the  Hindus,  and 
“Ram,  Ram,”  is  the  common  salutation  when  they  meet 
each  other.  But  the  most  popular  deity  among  all  classes 
is  Krishna.  Dr.  Allen  says:  “Circumstances  are  related 
concerning  his  birth  which  decency  will  not  permit  to  be 
mentioned.  His  infancy  and  childhood  were  remarkable 
for  mischievous  pranks  and  actions,  which  would  be 
marvelous  if  they  were  not  incredible,  puerile,  and  foolish. 
When  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  he  manifested  his  super- 
human powers  chiefly  in  amorous,  wanton,  and  licentious 
familiarity  with  the  women  of  the  district  where  he  then 
lived.”  The  Hindus  say  of  him  as  of  their  other  gods, 
“As  he  was  divine,  he  was  not  subject  to  the  moral  laws 
binding  on  human  beings.”  He  put  to  death  most  of  his 
own  offspring,  and  was  killed  by  an  arrow.  Eight  of  his 
wives  were  burned  with  his  body  upon  the  funeral  pile. 


134 


THE  ORIENT 


“Krishna,”  says  Elphinstone,  “is  the  greatest  favorite 
with  the  Hindus  of  all  their  divinities.”  His  votaries 
comprise  “all  the  opulent  and  luxurious,  almost  all  the 
women,  and  a very  large  proportion  of  all  ranks  of  Indian 
society.” 

Anquetil  du  Perron  says:  “The  whole  history  of 
Krishna  is  a tissue  of  Greek  and  Roman  obscenities, 
which  among  the  fanatics  of  all  descriptions,  conceal  the 
most  abominable  enormities.”  Buchanan,  describing  a 
chariot  belonging  to  a temple  of  Vishnu  says:  “The 
figures  upon  it,  representing  the  amours  of  that  god  in 
the  form  of  Krishna,  are  the  most  indecent  I have  ever 
seen.”  Dr.  Allen  describes  the  chariots  of  this  god  as 
“covered  or  ornamented  with  imagery  as  obscene  as 
could  be  conceived,”  and  that  he  saw  in  a celebrated 
temple  a great  number  of  stone  statues  representing  the 
amours  of  Krishna,  which  were  of  the  most  obscene 
character. 

Shiv,  the  destroyer,  is  represented  as  a silver  colored 
man,  with  five  faces,  three  eyes  and  four  hands,  and 
seated  upon  a bull.  His  body  is  naked,  or  partly  covered 
with  rags,  or  a tiger’s  skin,  and  smeared  with  the  ashes^ 
of  funeral  pvres,  wearing  earrings  of  snakes,  a neck- 
lace of  human  heads,  and  carrying  skulls  in  his  hands. 
In  one  of  the  Purans  he  describes  himself  as  one  “who 
wanders  here  and  there  like  a madman,  dancing  with 
demons  in  solitary  places  where  corpses  are  burned.” 
“Where  carcasses  are  burned  there  he  delights  to  dwell ; 
there  he  raises  his  bowlings  and  his  cries.  Rudra  is  his 
name,  the  cause  of  lamentation.” 

He  is  generally  worshipped  in  the  form  of  the  ling, 
which  symbol  is  everywhere  exposed  to  view  in  Indi.c, 


^iND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


135 


with  the  figure  of  a bull  looking  at  it,  the  former  upon 
a kind  of  altar  within  the  open  door  of  a temple,  and  the 
latter  crouched  on  the  ground  outside.  This  god  is  said 
to  have  a thousand  names,  but  the  most  common  one  is 
Mahadev,  or  great  god.  He  is  described  as  “delighting 
in  blood,  drunken  and  filthy  in  his  habits,  and  only  saved 
from  universal  contempt  by  the  dread  and  horror  of  Al- 
mighty power,  wielded  by  an  ungovernable  temper.” 

Durga,  the  consort  of  Shiv,  is  known  by  various 
names,  but  none  so  popular  as  Kali.  She  is  represented 
as  a female,  with  a hideous  countenance  of  a black  color, 
streaming  with  blood,  her  blood  red  tongue  protruding 
far  from  her  mouth;  her  four  hands  holding  symbols  and 
instruments  of  death ; her  girdle  made  of  the  hands  of 
her  victims,  and  her  necklace  a string  of  a hundred 
human  skulls  of  those  she  has  slain. 

Her  chief  temple  is  at  Kalighat,  near  Calcutta,  where 
blood  is  never  allowed  to  dry  before  her  idol.  Millions 
of  money  are  annually  expended  in  her  worship.  Dr. 
Ward  states  that  a Rajah  of  Nuddeah  on  one  occasion 
offered  goats  and  sheep,  beginning  with  one  a day,  and 
doubling  the  number  each  day  until  the  sixteenth,  on 
which  day  32,768  animals  were  slaughtered,  the  total 
for  the  sixteen  days  being  65,535.  Kali  is  the  guardian 
deity  of  the  Brahmins,  the  patron  goddess  of  Thugs, 
murderers  and  assassins,  both  Muhammedan  and  Hindu. 
Their  ropes  for  strangling  and  their  weapons  of  murder 
are  consecrated  in  her  name  and  considered  holy.  She 
is  worshipped  by  high  and  low,  of  all  classes  and  sects 
throughout  India.  Her  orgies  are  the  most  fearful  and 
last  for  days,  and  their  abominations  more  than  imagina- 
tion can  conceive  or  language  describe. 


136 


TUE  ORIEXT 


Such  are  a few  of  the  gods  of  the  Hindus,  and  they 
show  how  low  and  degraded  a conception,  fallen  human 
nature  can  have  of  deity,  and  what  kind  of  gods  sinful 
humanity  makes  for  itself. 

There  are  millions  of  others,  some  of  their  writers  say 
330,000,000,  but  all  of  the  same  character,  though  difter- 
ing  in  degree.  None  of  them  represent  the  virtues, 
but  are  described  as  having  all  the  worst  vices  and 
passions  of  humanity,  and  all  powerful.  They  are  made 
to  revel  in  wickedness  of  the  vilest  kind,  and  as  a people 
become  like  the  gods  they  worship,  the  moral  result  is 
to  brutalize  and  degrade  the  whole  mind  and  life.  “To 
contemplate  their  gods  is  to  meditate  on  vice ; to  think 
of  them  is  to  become  impufe;  to  imitate  them  is  to  be 
wicked.”  To  become  “godlike”  to  a Hindu  is  to  become 
worse  than  the  most  wicked  of  men.  His  passions  are 
stimulated  and  his  vices  encouraged  by  his  worship. 

In  India  everywhere  one  is  reminded  of  idolatry.  In 
the  cities  and  towns  the  temples  are  more  numerous  than 
churches  in  Christian  lands.  The  idols  are  hawked 
about  by  the  load  for  sale,  offered  in  every  market, 
placed  in  every  grove,  by  every  well,  along  the  streams, 
and  on  the  top  of  every  hillock  and  mountain. 

Everything,  even  the  most  minute  act  in  the  life  of  a 
Hindu,  is  connected  with  his  religion,  and  what  is  com- 
mon to  all  formal  religions,  this  makes  great  demands 
upon  his  time,  and  brings  with  it  a vast  amount  of  incon- 
venience and  suffering. 

The  people  have  thus  become  sunken  in  idolatry,  and 
probably  there  is  not  a Hindu  in  all  the  vast  population 
but  worships  some  material  object,  an  idol,  as  one  of  his 
gods.  The  question  naturally  occurs,  do  they  really 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


137 


worship  the  carved  images  themselves,  and  believe  them 
to  have  life  and  power  r 

I had  for  my  Miinshi  (teacher)  a Brahmin,  who  was 
a gentleman  in  every  respect,  and  a fine  scholar,  though 
he  wore  daily  on  his  forehead  the  mark  of  the  favorite 
god  of  those  he  worshipped.  One  day,  conversing  on 
this  subject,  he  remarked  that  man  was  so  constituted, 
his  mind  being  so  completely  under  the  control  of  his 
physical  senses,  that  it  was  best  to  have  something  before 
him  on  which  to  fix  his  eyes,  that  through  this  object 
his  mind  might  be  directed  and  kept  in  its  proper  chan- 
nel of  thought.  Looking  upon  the  idol,  his  mind  through 
it  would  worship  the  unseen  God,  but  that  the  idol  was 
not  an  object  of  worship,  only  the  medium  or  aid  to 
devotion.  I replied  that  possibly  the  highly  educated 
might  not  worship  the  image  itself,  but  how  was  it 
with  the  great  mass  of  ignorant  people  r and  he  acknowl- 
edged that  they  very  likely  worshipped  the  image 
as  God,  and  lost  sight  of  all  beyond  it.  No  doubt 
this  is  the  conclusion  that  all  come  to  who  have  studied 
the  subject.  The  heathen  lose  sight  of  God  in  bowing 
before  the  stone  idol,  and  Christians  forget  the  spiritual 
Christ  in  looking  at  the  wooden  cross. 

The  Hindu  has  no  respect  for  any  of  the  inferior  gods 
that  he  daily  and  constantly  worships.  His  worship  is 
not  inspired  by  any  love  for  them.  He  considers  them 
as  having  power  superior  to  himself,  but  possessing  all 
the  passions,  frailties,  likes  and  dislikes  of  the  human 
race,  and  he  treats  them  accordinglv.  He  pampers 
them  in  his  offerings,  flatters  them  in  his  worship,  deceives 
them  in  his  promises,  gives  to  them  a marvelous  history, 
delights  in  telling  absurd  stories  about  them ; treats  them 


138 


THE  ORIENT 


as  vain  courtiers  would  a fool  of  a king,  or  as  anywhere 
in  the  world,  weak  men  and  silly  women  fawn  and  crouch 
before  low-bred  sensualists,  who  by  accident  have 
become  wealthy  and  powerful.  He  has  no  love,  venera- 
tion, or  respect  for  these  gods,  but  he  fears  their  power 
and  deprecates  their  wrath.  He  never  talks  about  sin- 
ning against  them.  Their  dominion  is  the  earth,  and 
their  sphere  is  filled  with  the  pleasures  and  evils  of  the 
present  life.  Sin  pertains  to  a higher  power,  the  Begin- 
ning and  the  End,  all  between  are  incidents  or  accidents 
and  illusion. 

While  the  great  mass  of  the  people  lose  sight  of  God 
in  the  worship  of  their  idols,  and  their  time  is  mostly 
occupied  in  fighting  the  evils  that  meet  them  at  every 
step,  they  are  not  unconscious  of  being  sinners.  Amid 
all  their  idolatry  and  superstition,  in  all  their  wickedness 
and  degradation,  conscience,  or  the  Spirit  of  the  Living 
God,  makes  them  tremble.  He  of  necessity  must  awaken 
them,  and  they  cannot  shut  Him  out  of  their  hearts.  In 
eveiw  language  they  have  the  words  for  sin,  and  it  does 
not  require  education  or  reasoning  to  enable  them  to 
know  what  it  is.  One  day,  wishing  to  talk  to  a large 
company  of  pilgrims,  I beckoned  them  to  me  under  the 
shade  of  a large  mango  tree.  Addressing  one  of  them, 
a middle-aged  man,  evidently  an  unsophisticated  villager, 
I asked  him  where  they  were  going,  and  he  replied, 
"To  the  Ganges.”  “What  do  you  go  to  the  Ganges 
for  “To  bathe  ?”  “Why  do  you  bathe  ?”  and  putting 
his  hand  upon  his  breast,  he  replied,  “Is  Jehunnum  ke 
liye,”  literallv,  “For  the  sake  of  this  hell.” 

When  worshipping  their  idols  at  home,  in  their  villa- 
ges, they  would  reply,  “We  worship  this  god  that  our 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


139 


crops  may  not  be  injured,  that  god  that  we  may  not 
hav’e  the  small-pox,  this  one  that  our  children  may  not 
be  smitten  with  the  evil  eye,  or  that  one  that  we  may 
not  be  bitten  by  snakes,”  but  by  the  great  crowds  going 
to  the  Ganges,  the  reply  always  was,  “We  are  going  to 
bathe,  to  wash  away  our  sins.” 

They  wish  for  mukt,  salvation  from  sin, — from  illusion 
which  is  life,  a release  from  transmigration  through  infe- 
rior animals  and  grades  of  life — a quick  absorption  into 
God. 

To  acquire  mukt,  they  perform  various  meritorious 
acts,  erect  temples,  plant  trees,  dig  wells,  build  caravan- 
saries, fulfil  vows,  make  long  pilgrimages,  bathe  in  the 
Ganges,  and  repeat  endless  prayers.  Many  of  them 
give  themselves  up  to  meditation,  going  into  the  jungles, 
or  seated  by  the  roadside  in  one  attitude  for  months 
and  years,  gradually  losing  all  consciousness  of  what  is 
passing  around  them,  their  friends  attending  to  their  ab- 
solute wants,  they  never  speaking,  and  by  introspection 
of  their  own  thoughts,  and  dwelling  on  the  attributes  of 
Deity,  they  finally,  as  they  believe,  become  lost  in  God, 
and  are  saved. 

Others  measure  with  their  bodies  distances  ofhundreds 
of  miles,  or  crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees  to  some  dis- 
tant, sacred  spot,  until  the  flesh  is  worn  off  their  bones ; 
sear  their  bodies  with  hot  irons,  bore  holes  through  their 
lips,  and  fasten  their  mouths  shut  with  wire,  put  wire 
through  their  tongues;  are  swung  suspended  by  a rope 
fastened  to  iron  hooks  in  their  backs ; partially  hang  from 
a ring  in  the  flesh  of  their  sides ; lie  upon  sharp  spikes 
until  these  penetrate  to  the  bone,  or  sit  by  the  wavside 
holding  up  both  arms,  until  they  become  shrunken  and 


140 


THE  ORIENT 


fixed  in  that  position.  At  Hurdwar  I saw  many  of  these 
sunyasi's  or  devotees,  but  one  in  particular  attracted  my 
attention.  He  was  standing  under  a tamarind  tree,  by 
the  side  of  the  wide  road  along  the  river  bank.  There 
were  four  ropes  hanging  from  a limb  overhead,  the  ends 
near  the  ground  supporting  a piece  of  board.  The  dev- 
otee was  nearly  naked.  One  of  his  legs  rested  on  the 
board  while  he  stood  on  the  other,  the  latter  being 
swollen  to  about  three  times  the  natural  size,  and  filled 
with  running  sores.  His  left  arm  had  been  held  up  until 
it  had  shrivelled  to  skin  and  bone,  and  dried  in  that  posi- 
tion, the  nails  six  or  eight  inches  long,  grown  through 
the  hand.  When  I questioned  him,  he  put  the  fingers 
of  his  right  hand  upon  his  lips,  showing  that  he  would 
not  speak,  but  motioned  that  he  would  write.  I handed 
him  a pencil  and  paper,  and  he  wrote  in  reply  to  my 
question,  that  he  had  stood  in  that  position  eight  years, 
and  had  four  3'earsmore  to  stand,  when  he  would  receive 
mukt.  There  were  several  of  his  friends  with  him,  who 
supplied  his  wants  and  perhaps  allowed  him  to  rest  at 
times,  and  also  made  money  out  of  the  exhibition,  as  the 
ground  around  him  was  covered  with  small  coin  thrown 
to  him  by  the  people.  There  was  an  immense  crowd 
of  people  there,  and  as  hundreds  of  thousands  passed 
him  on  their  way  to  the  great  bathing  place  farther  up 
the  river,  the}^  would  put  their  hands  together  and  bow 
towards  him,  ihuttering  a prayer,  and  throwing  him  a 
gift.  They  considered  him  a saint,  one  who  by  his  aus- 
terities had  almost  crushed  out  his  personality,  and  thus 
had  arrived  near  to  God. 

They  consider  existence  itself  an  evil,  and  ever}’’  desire 
and  want  of  the  body  to  be  sinful.  The  more  they  can 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


141 


torture,  defile  and  destroy  their  humanity,  the  nearer 
they  believe  they  are  to  divinity.  I have  seen  nagas,  or 
the  naked  devotees, — their  matted  hair  bleached  yellow 
by  the  ashes  put  upon  it,  their  bodies  mere  skeletons  by 
their  habits  and  sufterings,  daubed  all  over  with  filth, 
more  hideous  and  brutal  looking  than  the  apes  in  the 
forest,  yet  proud  of  their  apparent  humility  and  degrada- 
tion, while  the  people  regarded  them  with  veneration, 
and  worshipped  them  because  of  their  supposed  holy 
character. 

Those  who  have  not  witnessed  it  can  form  no  idea  of 
the  inconvenience,  deprivation,  sacrifices,  torture  and 
suffering  connected  with  the  religion  of  the  Hindus. 
The  vices  and  horrible  abominations  of  those  who  profess 
to  be  its  saints,  would  seem  enough  to  make  the  most 
depraved  of  our  race  stand  aghast  at  the  spectacle.  No 
wonder  that  when  a missionary  read  the  first  chapter 
of  Romans  to  a crowd  of  these  corrupt  people,  they 
accused  him  of  writing  it,  as  it  so  correctly  described 
their  character. 

But  why  all  this  degradation,  sacrifice,  and  suffering  ? 
Because  of  sin,  is  the  universal  answer.  The  burden  of 
sin  has  been  upon  them,  they  have  groaned  under  it, 
and  in  their  own  way  been  endeavoring  to  get  rid  of  it, 
but  like  a man  struggling  in  a quicksand,  the  more 
they  tried  the  deeper  they  became  involved ; committing 
one  sin  to  get  rid  of  another,  they  become  more  vile, 
corrupt,  and  helpless. 

A thousand  times  questioning  them  as  to  why  they 
made  pilgrimages,  why  they  bathed,  why  they  tortured 
themselves  and  suffered  so  much,  the  reply  was  always, 
“to  get  rid  of  sin,”  and  then,  asking  if  they  had  been  to  the 


THE  ORIENT 


14-i 

Ganges — “Yes.”  If  they  had  bathed — “Yes.”  “But 
did  you  wash  away  your  sin  ?”  and  the  reply  w'ould  be, 
“Nay,  nay,  jaisa  gaya  waisa  aya.”  No,  no,  as  I went,  so 
I came. 


AlfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


143 


THE  BRAHMO  SAMAJ. 

During  the  past  hundred  years  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  religion  have  been  widely  disseminated  in 
India.  One  of  the  results  of  this  spread  of  Gospel  light 
has  been  the  growth  and  spread  of  several  religious 
sects,  professing  either  some  imitation  of  Christianity, 
some  half  understood  phase  of  Christian  faith,  or  else 
an  effort  to  combine  with,  or  engraft  upon  the  decaying 
forms  of  idolatry,  the  purity  of  life,  and  intellectual 
activity  expected  of  Christians. 

In  Eastern  Bengal  is  a sect  called  Satya  Gurus — true 
teachers.  About  the  year  1840,  the  founder,  SreeNath, 
claimed  that  the  three  names  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit  were  divinely  revealed  to  him,  and  that  by  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  was  enabled  to  perform  many 
wonderful  works,  giving  sight  to  the  blind  and  delivering 
people  from  various  diseases.  When  Sree  Nath’s  hour 
of  death  approached,  he  gave  this  command  to  his  disci- 
ples, “Keep  in  love  and  friendship  with  the  missionaries 
and  Christians,  because  they  and  we  are  the  disciples  of 
one  Guru.”  TheseSatya  Gurus  are  in  the  habit  of  read- 
ing the  Bible  and  praying  together,  and  confessing 
Christ  to  be  the  Incarnate  God.  They  say,  “We  believe 
in  Him.  By  our  prayers  many  diseased  people  get 
deliverance  and  have  health  restored.  If  any  one  among 
us  is  guilty  of  fornication  or  other  grievous  sin,  we  put 
him  out  of  our  congregation,  according  to  the  Apostle 


144 


THE  ORIENT 


Paul’s  command,  but  if  he  forsake  his  sin,  we  receive 
him  again  according  to  the  Apostle’s  instructions.”  This 
sect  is  not  the  result  of  any  direct  missionary  effort. 

Another  religious  teacher  has  lately  arisen,  whose  dis- 
ciples already  number  many  thousands  from  every  caste. 
He  is  called  Dhuli  Baba  Ji,  or  Child  of  Dust.  “He  never 
sleeps  two  nights  in  one  place,  and  is  constantl}'-  on  the 
move.  He  is  abstemious,  has  but  one  meal  a day, 
drinks  only  water  or  milk,  and  does  not  indulge  in  nar- 
cotics. He  denounces  idolatry,  caste,  the  Brahmins, 
and  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors;  inculcates  the  worship 
of  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  the  world,  and  the  prac- 
tice of  devotion  and  prayer  to  God,  truth,  charity,  and 
chastity.  His  disciples  have  a number  of  hymns  com- 
posed by  themselves,  which  they  sing  with  much  earnest- 
ness. They  are  in  praise  of  the  indescribable  God,  and 
contain  ideas  which  seem  to  have  been  derived  from 
Christian  books.” 

No  one  of  these  new  sects  has  commanded  greater  at- 
tention or  received  a larger  number  of  followers  than  the 
Brahmo  Samaj,  or  society  of  Brahmos,  which  was 
founded  in  1828  by  Rajah  Ram  Mohan  Roy,  a man  of 
remarkable  ability  and  fine  education.  The  Brahmos 
claim  that  he  occupies  the  same  position  in  relation  to 
Brahmoism  that  Christ  occupies  in  Christianity.  The 
following  sketch  of  the  life  of  Ram  Mohan  Roy  is  from 
a lecture  on  the  Brahmo  Samaj  by  Rev.  T.  J.  Scott,  D.  D. : 

“Ram  Mohan  Roy  was  born  at  Burdwan,  in  Bengal, 
in  the  year  1774.  He  was  a Brahmin  by  caste,  and  his 
father  was  a wealthy  and  respectable  man,  more  liberal 
minded  than  his  people  generally  of  that  day.  As  the 
son  grew  up  it  became  manifest  that  he  possessed  a 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


145 


mind  of  no  common  order,  and  this  increased  the  desire 
of  his  father — who  doted  on  him  as  only  oriental  papas 
can  do — to  give  him  the  very  best  education  obtainable. 
When  thoroughly  instructed  in  his  own  language,  he 
began  the  study  of  Persian,  that  he  might  acquire  what- 
ever of  knowledge  that  language  presented.  He  was 
sent  to  Patna,  distinguished  as  a seat  of  Muhammedan 
learning,  where  he  had  the  best  teachers  of  the  times, 
and  an  opportunity  of  studying,  which  he  did  with  enthu- 
siasm, not  only  Persian  but  also  Arabic.  Although  then 
but  a lad,  he  became  quite  familiar  with  Persian  and 
Arabic  literature,  and  found  attraction  in  the  sublime 
doctrine  of  one  infinite  God,  supreme  and  alone,  and  felt 
the  unfavorable  contrast  between  this  and  the  teachings 
of  his  own  sacred  books.  A radical  bent  was  no  doubt 
given  to  his  religious  career  at  Patna.  From  this  place 
he  went  to  the  holy  city  of  Benares,  to  complete  his 
studies  in  Sanskrit.  Here,  to  his  complete  satisfaction, 
he  threaded  the  labyrinths  of  Hindu  philosophy  and 
delved  in  Sanskrit  lore,  only,  however,  to  become  con- 
vinced that  all  beside  the  Veds  is  mere  human  rubbish, 
full  of  legends,  fables,  and  stupid  fiction.  In  the  Veds, 
however,  and  their  theological  commentaries,  the  Upan- 
ishads,  he  supposed  that  he  had  found  solid  ground.  He 
was  overjoyed  to  see  that  these  did  not  contain  any  allu- 
sion to  Ram,  Krishna,  Gunesh,  Kali,  and  a host  of  other 
revengeful,  licentious,  and  filthy  deities.  Thus  from  the 
teachings  of  the  Koran  and  the  revelations  of  his  own 
ancient  sacred  books,  he  rested  in  the  belief  of  one  infi- 
nite and  holy  God.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  returned 
to  his  home,  the  pride  of  his  unsuspecting  father,  to 
begin  the  most  remarkable  moral  and  intellectual  move- 


146 


THE  ORIENT 


ment  of  modern  India.  He  was  saddened  at  the  deep 
degradation,  moral  and  mental,  that  wrapped  his  people 
in  a mantle  of  night,  and  resolved  to  do  something  to 
break  the  spell  that  bound  them,  and  lead  them  forth  to 
liberty.  In  his  sixteenth  year  he  issued  a book,  boldly 
challenging  the  correctness  of  modern  Hinduism.  This 
at  once  aroused  against  him  the  indignation  and  perse- 
cution of  bigoted  Brahmins,  and  he  was  driven  from  his 
home.  Supported  b}"  his  father,  he  traveled  extensively 
through  India,  and  even  passed  over  into  Tibet,  busy 
all  the  while  examining  and  comparing  religious  sys- 
tems. After  four  }rears  he  returned  at  the  request  of  his 
father,  who  had  followed  him  with  an  anxious  and  affec- 
tionate heart,  but  only  to  renew  his  conflict  with  the 
Brahmins.  He  continued  these  eflbrts  for  }"ears,  slowly 
gathering  about  him  a few  converts.  Meanwhile,  having 
thoroughly  acquired  English,  he  also  studied  Greek,  that 
he  might  read  the  New  Testament  in  the  original.  He 
was  enraptured  with  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  cheerfully  acknowledging  that  nothing  in  the 
Veds  would  compare  with  them.  He  published  in 
Bengali  and  English  a book  called  “The  Precepts  of 
Jesus,  the  Guide  to  Happiness.”  In  1828  he  gave  the 
movement  which  he  had  set  on  foot  a regular  organiza- 
tion, under  the  name  of  the  Brahmo  Sabha  or  Brahmo 
Assembly.  A creed  was  partially  formed,  and  times  of 
meeting  and  a routine  of  religious  services  appointed. 

In  1830  Ram  Mohan  Roy  was  chosen  by  the  King  of 
Dilhi  to  be  his  embassador  in  London.  Here  to  some 
extent  he  identified  himself  with  Unitarian  Christians, 
while  still  clinging  to  the  Veds;  and  here  in  1833  he  died, 
a man  as  remarkable  for  his  ingenious  liberahty  of  mind 


AKD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


147 


as  for  the  striking  genius  that  marked  his  whole  career.” 

The  precise  articles  of  faith  to  which  Ram  Mohan 
Roy  would  have  subscribed  are  not  known ; probably 
he  never  decided  for  himself  the  exact  boundaries  of  his 
belief.  In  England  some  claimed  that  he  was  a Unita- 
rian. In  India  one  of  his  own  friends  and  associates 
speaks  of  him  as  a “stubborn  heretic,”  “strongly  repro- 
bated by  the  zealous  both  among  Hindus  and  Christians, 
for  his  daring  impiety  in  rejecting  the  doctrine  of 
Divine  Incarnations.”  Of  Christ  he  himself  says  “A 
day  may  soon  arrive  when  every  one  will  regard  the 
precepts  of  Jesus  as  the  sole  guide  to  peace  and  happi- 
ness.” To  Bishop  Luscombe,  of  Paris,  he  asserted  that 
the  first  chapter  according  to  John,  and  even  the  first 
verse,  were  sufficient  to  convince  him  of  the  Divinity  of 
Christ,  and  confirm  him  in  this  doctrine.  It  is  probable 
that  his  mind,  springing  sharply  away  from  the  idea  of 
incarrtation,  as  manifest  in  the  infamous  lives  of  Hindu 
incarnations,  was  unable  to  accept  the  fact  of  the  incar- 
nation of  Christ,  though  he  greatly  admired  his  pure  life 
and  holy  teaching.  Ram  Mohan  Roy  seems  to  have 
been  an  earnest  seeker  for  good  in  every  religion  that 
attracted  his  attention  or  study.  He  quoted  from  Zor- 
oaster, the  Koran,  the  Shasters,  Veds,  or  the  Bible,  seek- 
ing always  for  more  light. 

In  the  Veds,  the  highest  religious  authorities  of  the 
Hindus,  he  found  wise  sayings,  pure  precepts,  and  passa- 
ges condemning  the  gross  sensuality  and  idolatry  of  his 
people.  So  far  as  he  searched  these  ancient  Sanskrit 
works,  they  seemed  to  present  to  him  a higher  faith, 
and  incitements  to  a holier  life,  than  the  Purans  and  later 
religious  books  of  the  Hindus.  Many  portions  of  the 


-148 


THE  ORIENT 


Veds  he  carefully  studied  and  translated  into  the  language 
of  his  countrymen.  Their  precepts  he  left  for  the  guid- 
ance of  his  followers,  the  members  of  the  Brahma  Sabha, 
as  the  new  sect  was  then  called.  The  following  extracts 
from  his  translations  show  something  of  the  errors  that 
he  had  to  combat,  and  the  truth  after  which  his  mind 
was  seeking. 

“Consider  the  soul  a rider,  the  body  as  a car,  the  intel- 
lect its  driver,  the  mind  as  its  rein;  the  external  senses 
are  called  the  horses,  restrained  by  the  mind;  external 
objects  are  the  roads;  so  wise  men  believe  the  soul 
united  with  the  body,  the  senses  and  the  mind,  to  be  the 
partaker  of  the  consequences  of  good  or  evil  acts. 

“If  that  intellect  which  is  represented  as  the  driver  be 
indiscreet,  and  the  rein  of  the  mind  loose,  all  the  senses 
under  the  authority  of  the  intellectual  power  become 
unmanageable,  like  wicked  horses  under  the  control  of 
an  unfit  driver. 

“Rise  up  and  awake  from  the  sleep  of  ignorance,  and 
having  approached  able  teachers,  acquire  knowledge  of 
God,  the  origin  of  the  soul;  for  the  way  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  God  is  considered  by  wise  men  as  difficult  as 
the  passage  over  the  sharp  edge  of  a razor. 

“Superior  to  nature  is  God,  who  is  omnipresent  and 
without  material  effects,  by  acquisition  of  whose  knowl- 
edge man  becomes  extricated  from  ignorance  and  dis- 
tress, and  is  absorbed  into  Him  after  death. 

“In  God,  heaven,  earth,  and  space  reside,  and  also  intel- 
lect, with  breath  and  all  senses.  Do  you  strive  to  know 
solely  the  One  Supreme  Being,  and  forsake  all  other 
discourse,  because  a true  knowledge  respecting  God  is 
the  only  way  to  eternal  beatitude. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


149 


“God  alone  is  immortal.  He  extends  before,  behind, 
to  the  right,  to  the  left,  beneath  and  above.  He  is  the 
Supreme  and  all  in  all. 

“The  vulgar  look  for  their  gods  in  water;  men  of 
more  extended  knowledge  in  celestial  bodies ; the  igno- 
rant in  wood,  bricks  and  stones;  but  learned  men  in  the 
universal  soul. 

“It  is  impossible  for  those  who  consider  pilgrimage  as 
devotion,  and  believe  that  the  divine  nature  exists  in  the 
image,  to  look  up  to,  communicate  with,  to  petition  and 
to  revere  true  believers  in  God. 

“Those  who  believe  that  the  divine  nature  exists  in  an 
image  made  of  earth,  stone,  metal,  wood,  or  of  other 
materials,  reap  only  distress  by  their  austerities ; but  they 
cannot,  without  a knowledge  of  the  Supreme  Spirit, 
acquire  absorption. 

“Hence  no  vision  can  approach  Him;  no  language 
can  describe  Him;  no  intellectual  power  can  compass  or 
determine  Him.  We  know  nothing  of  how  the  Supreme 
Being  shonld  be  explained.  He  is  beyond  nature, 
which  is  above  comprehension;  our  ancient  spiritual 
parents  have  thus  explained  Him  to  us.” 

After  the  death  of  Rajah  Ram  Mohan  Roy,  Babii 
Debendra  Nath  Tagore  became  the  leader  of  the  Brahma 
Sabha,  but  for  a few  years  little  attention  was  paid  to  the 
society,  still  the  seeds  of  the  new  movement  were  pre- 
paring for  fruition.  “In  1839  Brahma  Sabha  was 

supplemented  by  another  organization  under  the  name 
of  the  Tatwabodini  Sabha.  From  this  time  the  society 
assumed  an  aggressive  form,  and  greater  effort  was 
made  to  propagate  the  new  faith.  A press  was  set  to 
work,  schools  were  opened,  and  branch  societies  estab- 


150 


THE  ORIENT 


lished  in  several  places.”  The  members  of  the  society 
at  this  time  numbered  several  hundreds,  all  men  of  more 
than  ordinary'  intelligence,  and  of  high  social  standing. 
Their  new  faith  did  not  call  for  any  great  sacrifices. 
They  had  many  wordy  wars  with  orthodox  Hindus,  and 
were  often  looked  upon  with  suspicion,  but  they  still 
retained  caste,  considering  it  to  be  of  Divine  origin. 
For  the  sake  of  the  ignorant  or  superstitious,  they  fre- 
quently took  part  in  or  allowed  idolatrous  ceremonies, 
belie\fing  that  “The  rites  and  ceremonies  inculcated 
in  the  Veds  are  intended  to  be  preparatory  to  the  spir- 
itual worship  of  God,  and  are  expressly  declared  to 
be  useful  to  men  who  cannot  raise  their  minds  from 
nature  up  to  nature’s  God.”  They  still  held  to  the  doc- 
trine of  the  transmigration  of  souls.  The}'  believed  that 
souls  would  be  required  to  pass  states  of  probation  dur- 
ing successive  lives  of  longer  or  shorter  duration, 
until,  by  righteousness  and  sacred  knowledge,  they 
should  be  fitted  for  absorption  into  the  Supreme  Being. 

Ram  Mohun  Roy  was  able  to  explore  but  a compar- 
atively small  portion  of  the  Veds,  these  books  being 
rare,  expensive,  and  accessible  to  but  few  even  of  the 
Brahminical  order.  He  had  taught  that  the  Veds  were 
inspired,  an  infallible  rule  of  faith.  Some  time  after  his 
death,  his  followers  began  to  suspect  that  even  the  Veds 
contained  strange  contradictions  and  gross  immoralities. 
Four  wise  men  were  selected  from  their  number,  who 
went  to  Benares,  the  seat  of  Hindu  learning  and  Sanskrit 
literature,  where  they  could  have  access  to  all  the 
Vedantic  writings.  After  two  years  of  study,  they 
returned  to  Calcutta  to  denounce  Vedantism.  Thus  left 
without  compass  or  chart,  the  Brahmo  Samaj  has  since 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


151 


been  blown  about  by  many  a wind  of  doctrine.  For 
awhile  they  were  guided  by  certain  selections  from  the 
ancient  religious  books  of  their  nation,  and  professed  to 
rest  in  a pure  theism.  They  adopted  a creed  containing 
the  following  cardinal  points: 

“i.  There  exists  one  eternal,  supreme  God,  infinite  in 
all  his  attributes,  good  and  merciful. 

2.  He  is  spirit — hence  without  form. 

3.  From  his  worship  and  service  alone  can  happiness 
be  enjoyed  here  and  hereafter. 

4.  The  worship  of  God  consists  in  acts  of  devotion 
and  praise,  and  his  service  in  the  practice  of  virtue. 

5.  The  soul  is  subject  to  transmigration  until  thor- 
oughly purified,  and  prepared  for  the  regions  of  eternal 
blessedness. 

6.  The  only  true  revelation  is  pure  intuition,  by  which 
the  thoughtful  and  virtuously  inclined  can  discover  truth 
and  the  path  of  duty.” 

The  following  is  the  Covenant  of  the  society  for  aU 
who  become  members: 

“i.  This  day , day  of  the  month  of , in  the 

year , I adopt  the  religion  of  the  worshippers  of 

Bruhm. 

2.  I will  live  devoted  to  the  worship  of  that  one 
Supreme  Bruhm,  who,  the  Creator,  the  Preserver,  and 
the  Destroyer  of  the  Universe;  the  cause  of  deliverance; 
all  wise;  all-pervading;  full  of  joy;  the  good,  and  with- 
out form.  I will  w'orship  him  with  love,  and  by  doing 
things  that  will  give  him  pleasure. 

3.  I will  worship  no  created  thing  as  the  Supreme 
Bruhm,  the  Creator  of  all. 

4.  Except  on  days  of  sickness  or  calamity,  I will 


152 


THE  ORIENT 


every  day,  ■when  my  mind  shall  be  at  rest  in  faith  and 
love,  fix  my  thoughts  on  the  Supreme. 

5.  I will  live  in  the  earnest  practice  of  good  deeds. 

6.  I will  endeavor  to  live  free  from  evil  deeds. 

7.  If  overcome  by  temptation,  I perchance  do  any  e\fil 
thing,  I wiU  surely  desire  to  be  freed  from  it,  and  be 
careful  for  the  future. 

8.  Every  year,  and  in  all  my  worldly  prosperity,  I will 
offer  gifts  to  the  Brahmo  Samaj. 

O God,  grant  unto  me  strength  that  I may  entirely 
observe  this  excellent  religion.” 

When  a Hindu  speaks  of  Bruhm,  he  means,  “Him 
who  is  God  above  all  gods;”  all  other  names  represent 
some  lesser  divinity. 

Having,  in  imitation  of  Christian  sects,  adopted  a 
creed  and  covenant,  they  must  also  have  a catechism. 
Professor  Max  Muller,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  “Chips 
from  a German  Workshop,”  gives  these  extracts  from 
their  catechism: 

“Q.  Who  is  the  deity  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  The  one  true  God,  one  only  without  a second, 
whom  all  Hindu  Shasters  proclaim. 

Q.  What  is  the  divine  worhsip  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  Loving  God,  and  doing  the  works  he  loveth. 

Q.  What  is  the  temple  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  The  pure  heart. 

Q.  What  are  the  ceremonial  observances  of  the 
Brahmos  ? 

A.  Good  works. 

Q.  What  is  the  sacrifice  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  Renunciation  of  selfishness. 

Q.  What  are  the  austerities  of  the  Brahmos  ? 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


153 


A.  Not  committing  sin.  The  Mahabharata  says:  ‘He 
who  does  not  commit  sin  in  mind,  speech,  action  or 
understanding,  performs  austerities;  not  he  who  drieth 
up  his  body.’ 

Q.  What  is  the  place  of  pilgrimage  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  The  company  of  the  good. 

Q.  What  is  the  Ved  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  Divine  knowledge.  It  is  superior  to  all  Veds. 
The  Ved  itself  says:  ‘The  inferior  knowledge  is  the  Rig 
Ved,  the  Yajur  Ved,  the  Sama  Ved,  the  Atharva  Ved, 
etc.;  the  superior  knowledge  is  that  which  treats  of  God. 

Q.  What  is  the  most  sacred  formula  of  the  Brahmos  ? 

A.  Be  good  and  do  good. 

Q.  Who  is  the  true  Brahmin  ? 

A.  He  who  knows  Bruhm.  The  Brihadaranyaka- 
Upanishad  says:  He  who  departs  from  this  world  know- 
ing God,  is  a Brahmin.” 

The  society  has  published  “Theists’  Prayer  Books” 
that  show  a sincere  spirit  of  devotion  and  humility,  but 
in  none  of  them  is  the  lack  of  the  Christian’s  triumphant 
faith  more  apparent  than  in  the  death-bed  prayer.  Sev- 
eral of  their  prayers  seem  to  be  dictated  in  view  of  the 
trials  and  scorn  which  they  must  encounter,  on  account 
of  their  religious  opinions.  The  following  family  prayer 
might  be  used  with  profit  in  any  family. 

“O  God,  our  Father,  who  hast  bound  us  together  in 
this  family  by  the  ties  of  domestic  affection,  help  us  to 
draw  near  to  Thee.  Thou  art  the  guardian  of  our  lives, 
the  Giver  of  every  good,  our  Guide  and  Counsellor.  We 
regard  it  as  our  best  privilege  that  thou  hast  permitted 
us  to  caU  Thee  our  Father,  and  bow  down  before  Thee 
in  filial  trust  and  obedience.  May  we  never  forget  thine 


154 


THE  ORIENT 


infinite  mercies;  may  we  rejoice  that  Thou,  Ruler  of  this 
universe,  the  Infinite  Lord  of  the  earth  and  heavens,  art 
present  at  this  family  altar  to  hear  and  accept  our  humble 
prayers.  Sweeten  and  strengthen  those  relations  which 
bind  us  to  each  other,  by  drawing  unto  Thee  the  affec- 
tions of  each  one  of  us.  Foster  in  us  right  feelings 
toward  each  other,  and  cast  out  selfishness,  jealousy,  and 
whatsoever  creates  discord  and  ill-will  amongst  us.  In 
all  domestic  joys  may  we  gratefully  remember  Thee;  in 
all  domestic  calamities  may  we  learn  to  place  our  trust 
in  Thee,  knowing  that  in  Thee  is  all  our  good.  O Thou 
Loving  God,  who,  with  more  than  a mother’s  affection, 
dost  feed  and  protect  us,  preserve  the  souls  of  Thy  chil- 
dren in  Thy  holy  keeping.  Chastise  us  if  we  do  wrong ; 
bring  us  back  to  Thee  if  we  run  astra}-.  Help  us  to 
keep  our  hearts  from  impurity  and  our  hands  from  un- 
righteous actions.  Send  unto  us  meekness  and  humility, 
and  prepare  us  for  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life.  May  we 
live  as  Thy  obedient  children  and  faithful  followers. 
Thou  art  the  Lord  of  this  family,  make  this  home  the 
abode  of  divine  love,  purity  and  faith,  of  peace,  and 
mutual  good  will.  Bless  this  family,  O Lord,  and  make 
it  truly  Thine.  Father,  of  all  families  on  earth,  extend 
Thy  glory  everywhere,  and  draw  unto  Thee  the  hearts 
of  all  Thy  children.  To  Thee,  O God,  we  consecrate 
our  hearts  and  souls,  that  we  may  be  Thine  everlastingly. 

The  form  of  sacred  worship  among  the  Brahmos  is 
thus  described: 

“In  their  writings  they  speak  of  themselves  as  a 
church,  and  use  much  of  our  ecclesiastical  phraseology. 
Each  society  gives  its  assembling,  or  the  assembly  itself, 
a different  name,  after  the  manner  of  Christian  churches. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


l55 


There  is  also  in  Calcutta  a societ}-  of  women,  called  the 
Brahmica  Samaj.  The  women  now  in  some  instances 
worship  with  the  men  in  the  same  assembly.  The 
Brahmo  meetings  are  held  in  halls  or  chapels  set  apart 
for  the  purpose.  The  assembly  remain  seated  during 
service,  which  is  considerably  modeled  after  the  forms 
of  Christian  worship,  consisting  of  recitative  prayers 
and  prayers  from  a printed  ritual  or  book  of  worship. 
Sermons  are  read,  and  often  extempore  prayer  is  offered. 
The  service  is  interluded  with  singing  and  chanting, 
accompanied  by  an  instrument,  as  a harmonium.  After 
all  that  intuition  and  the  light  of  nature  have  done  for 
the  Brahmos,  their  sad  aping  of  Christianity  is  badly 
concealed.” 

The  congregations  are  usually  dismissed  with  a bene- 
diction, taken  from  some  of  the  ancient  Hindu  writings. 
Of  the  manner  of  closing  their  service,  these  are  samples: 

“I  now  in  conformity  with  our  principles,  pronounce  a 
benediction  on  those  present  in  this  assembly  who  are 
willing  to  receive  it,  by  reciting  the  following  ancient 
stanza: 

‘May  He  through  fear  of  whom  the  air  passes  in  cir- 
culation, through  fear  of  whom  the  sun  gives  heat,  and 
who  directs  all  our  understandings,  preserve  every  one  of 
you. 

‘God  is  one  only  without  an  equal.’  ” 

“May  he  who  has  made  the  swan  so  beautifully  white, 
and  the  parrot  of  a golden  hue,  and  has  painted  the  pea- 
cock with  variegated  colors,  preserve  every  one  of  you. 

‘God  is  one  only  without  an  equal.’  ” 

The  following  exhortation  and  prayer  closes  a lecture 
given  in  defence  of  Brahmoism  in  1863: 


156 


THE  ORIENT 


“Controversy  with  the  followers  of  other  religions  we 
cannot  avoid,  for  both  the  purposes  of  self-vindication,  as 
well  as  of  conversion,  but  let  us  set  an  example  to  them, 
in  what  spirit  religious  controversy  is  to  be  conducted. 
Let  us  not  lose  our  temper  at  the  time  of  discussion.  Let 
us  not  indulge  in  sarcasm  instead  of  fair  argumentation, 
for  sarcasm  ill  befits  the  most  momentous  of  all  subjects, 
religion.  Let  us  not  sacrifice  candor  at  the  altar  of  love- 
liness. Let  us  not  for  the  sake  of  appearing  smart,  lose 
sight  of  the  duty  of  behaving  fairly  towards  the  follow- 
ers of  other  religions,  for  they  are  men,  and  as  men  they 
are  our  brethren. 

“Let  us  be  pure  and  holy  in  our  lives.  Let  us  show  to 
the  idolater  that  our  religion  is  not  a dead  religion,  a 
religion  only  to  be  talked  of,  and  not  acted  up  to.  Let 
us  make  sacrifices  for  our  religion,  and  thereby  show  our 
countrymen  that  we  love  it  with  all  our  minds,  all  our 
hearts,  and  all  our  strength;  then  will  they  think  that 
Brahmoism  is  something,  and  that  it  is  not  to  be  made 
light  of  Let  us  think  more  of  our  country’s  than  of 
our  own  interests.  Let  us  direct  our  chief  attention  to 
the  education  and  social  improvement  of  our  women,  for 
if  one  half  of  our  population  be  in  darkness,  how  can 
the  other  half  prosper  ? Let  us  be  always  up  and  doing, 
for  our  country  is  in  a state  of  transition,  and  the  duties 
of  those  who  live  at  such  a period  are  not  light. 

Lord  God,  our  Father,  our  Saviour,  our  Redeemer, 
give  us  strength  to  bear  the  trials  of  this  awfixlly  critical 
time.  To  Thee  we  look  up  for  succor,  for  we  are  weak. 
Always  grant  the  light  of  thy  countenance,  for  that 
light  alone  is  our  only  consolation  amid  the  darkness 
and  danger  of  our  situation.  From  Thee  alone  come 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


157 


Strength,  comfort,  and  bliss.  Forsake  us  not,  but  infuse 
patience,  firmness,  and  fortitude  into  our  souls,  so  that 
we  may  stand  as  witnesses  of  Thy  glory  to  generations 
to  come.” 

In  1866  there  were  fifty-four  Samajes  throughout 
India,  with  more  than  two  thousand  members.  Eleven 
societies  had  chapels  for  worship,  others  meeting  in 
rented  halls  or  private  houses.  A college  was  established 
by  them  in  Calcutta  and  there  were  eleven  schools  for 
boys  and  girls,  connected  with  different  Samajes.  The 
society  supported  seven  strictly  religious  papers,  for  the 
propagation  of  theistic  doctrines ; four  other  papers  of  a 
more  secular  character  were  also  published  byBrahmos, 
two  of  them  in  English.  For  many  years  the  Society’s 
press  at  Calcutta  had  been  issuing  tracts  and  books. 
Eight  men  were  actively  engaged  in  missionary  work, 
and  supported  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the 
Brahmos.  These  missionaries  were  sincere  and  earnest 
men,  anxious  to  help  their  brethren  out  of  the  depths  of 
idolatry,  and  even  hoping  that  the  whole  world  would 
yet  acknowledge  the  superiority  of  Brahmoism ; or  as  an 
enthusiastic  member  expressed  himself: 

“When  we  find  society  is  progressing,  and  men  in 
general  are  marching  onward,  and  the  Brahmo  mission- 
aries are  working  with  their  head  and  heart,  I doubt 
not  that  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  Brahmo 
religion — the  pure,  heaven-born  religion,  will  be  the  pre- 
vailing religion  of  the  world,  and  establish  union  and 
brotherhood  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  severing 
asunder  the  shackles  of  superstition  and  sectarianism.” 

Though  sometimes  allowing,  from  policy,  the  rites  of 
idolatry  by  members  of  their  families,  still  the  Brahmos 


158 


THE  ORIENT 


were  making  most  vigorous  and  laudable  efforts  to  edu- 
cate their  people  to  a higher  faith  and  purer  morals. 
They  strove  to  abolish  polygam}^  infant  marriages,  and 
infanticide,  they  sought  to  legalize  the  remarriage  of 
widows,  and  to  establish  girls’  schools. 

This  was,  undoubtedly,  the  most  promising  era  of  the 
Brahmo  Samaj.  Dissension  had  already  begun  its 
work.  Two  parties  in  the  church  of  the  Brahmos,  the 
conservative,  headed  by  Babu  Debendra  Nath  Tagore, 
and  the  progressive,  led  by  Keshub  Chundra  Sen,  were 
striving  to  be  reconciled  to  each  other.  In  1865  Babu 
Keshub  Chundra  Sen  “presented  to  Babu  Debendra 
Nath  Tagore  three  propositions  with  reference  to  the 
management  of  the  Samaj,  signifying  that  unless  these 
were  complied  with,  he  and  those  who  agreed  with  him, 
should  feel  themselves  necessitated  to  separate  from  the 
existing  Samaj,  and  form  one  for  themselves.  These 
propositions  were: 

1.  That  the  external  signs  of  caste  distinction — such 
as  the  Brahminical  thread — should  be  no  longer  used. 

2.  That  none  but  Brahmos  of  sufficient  ability  and 
good  moral  character,  who  lived  consistently  with  their 
profession,  should  be  allowed  to  conduct  the  services  of 
the  Samaj. 

3.  That  nothing  should  be  said  in  the  Samaj  expressive 
of  hatred  or  contempt  for  other  religions.” 

Upon  the  first  of  these  requisitions,  the  society  was 
finally  obliged  to  divide. 

A prominent  member  in  1863  declared  that  “the 
present  members  of  the  Samaj  maintain  that  intuition 
lays  the  groundwork,  and  reasoning  raises  the  super- 
structure of  religion.”  Unfortunately  for  a religion  so 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


159 


based  and  built,  human  intuitions  and  human  reason- 
ings often  take  the  most  divergent  lines.  The  intuition 
and  reasoning  of  the  conservative  party  taught  them 
thus:  “The  conservative  Brahmos  are  those  who  are 
unwilling  to  push  religious  and  social  reformation  to  any 
great  extreme.  The}^  are  of  the  opinion  that  reforrha- 
tion  should  be  gradual,  the  law  of  gradual  progress  being 
universally  prevalent  in  nature.  They  also  say  that  the 
principle  of  Brahmic  harmony  requires  a harmonious 
discharge  of  all  our  duties,  and  that,  as  it  is  a duty  to 
take  a part  in  reformation,  so  there  are  other  duties  to 
perform,  namely,  those  towards  parents  and  society,  and 
that  we  should  harmonize  all  those  duties  as  much  as  we 
can.” 

The  older  portion  could  not  see  that  they  ought  to  yield 
their  caste  and  its  treasured  sign,  the  sacred  cord,  thus 
sundering  themselves  from  family  ties  and  friendships, 
and  honored  positions. 

The  intuition  and  reasoning  of  the  younger  and  pro- 
gressive class  taught  them,  that  before  God,  men  were 
judged  by  their  actions,  not  by  the  circumstance  of  their 
birth;  that  rent  and  divided  into  castes,  their  nation  must 
ever  be  a tributary,  and  they  felt  compelled  to  break  the 
iron  bands  of  custom,  and  suffer  reproach  as  outcasts,  if 
thereby  their  people  might  eventually  become  free  and 
ennobled. 

The  result  of  these  conflicting  opinions  was  the  forma- 
tion of  two  Samajes,  the  conservative  party,  known  as 
the  Adi  Brahmo  Samaj,  or  first  church,  and  the  pro- 
gressive as  the  Brahmo  Samaj. 

The  Adi  Samaj,  under  the  leadership  of  Debendra 
Nath  Tagore,  have  seemed  to  retreat  somewhat  from 


160 


THE  ORIENT 


their  moderately  advanced  position,  and  to  cling  closely 
to  as  much  of  the  old  religion  as  possible.  Brahmoism 
had  no  consolation  to  offer  that  could  compensafe  for  the 
loss  of  social  position,  and  the  breaking  of  family  ties 
■which  must  inevitabl}’’  follo'W,  'were  they  to  forfeit  caste, 
and  they  could  but  see  that  progressive  religion  must 
ultimately  lead  to  their  renunciation  of  caste.  As  a 
religious  movement,  the  days  of  the  Adi  Samaj  seem  to 
be  numbered. 

Babu  Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  the  head  of  the  progres- 
sive party,  though  a man  of  ability  and  a brilliant  leader, 
has  been  too  vacillating  in  his  religious  views  to  perma- 
nently establish  a ne-w  sect.  In  May  of  1866  he  delivered 
a “lecture  in  Calcutta  upon  ‘Jesus  Christ,  Europe  and 
Asia,’  -which  approaches  perhaps  more  nearly  than  any 
other  of  his  published  utterances  to  the  faith  of  his  great 
predecessor.  Rajah  Ram  Mohun  Ro}',  From  this  lecture 
one  -would  suppose  that  he  was  almost  a Christian.  But, 
as  if  startled  by  his  boldness,  and  perhaps  made  to  feel 
by  his  fellow-countrymen  the  difficulty  of  moral  courage, 
he  appeared  desirous  of  retreating  from  his  position;  for 
in  a lecture  upon  ‘Great  Men,’  delivered  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  September  of  the  same  year,  he  advocated  a 
theory  which  implicitly  places  Christ  upon  the  same 
level  with  other  benefactors  of  their  race.” 

During  his  visit  to  Europe  in  1870,  he  attracted  a 
great  amount  of  attention.  Unitarians  claimed  him  as 
one  of  themselves,  and  freely  opened  to  him  their  churches 
and  pulpits.  Religious  newspapers  had  their  leaders  on 
Keshub  Chunder  Sen.  His  friends  in  India  began  to 
feel  that  they  truly  had  a great  man  for  their  head. 
While  in  London  he  delivered  a lecture  on  “Christ  and 


Ayn  ITS  PEOPLE. 


161 


Christianity,”  in  which  he  ascribed  to  Jesus  Christ  the 
highest  homage,  and  the  most  lofty  of  attributes,  save 
that  of  divinity.  His  lecture  was  too  strong  to  please  his 
followers,  and  upon  his  return  to  India,  he  receded  some- 
what from  that  position,  and  refused  to  fellowship  with 
Christian  theists. 

“Rev.  C.  H.  Dali,  a Unitarian  missionary  ot  Calcutta, 
being,  without  doubt,  desirous  of  bringing  the  Brahmo 
body  nearer  to  Christ,  became  a member  of  the  Samaj, 
calling  himself,  as  indeed  he  always  had  a right  to  be 
called,  a Christian  theist.  From  his  position,  however, 
the  leader  of  the  Samaj  decidedly  shrunk,  and  wished 
it  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  he  was  not  a Christian 
theist,  but  a pure  theist,  thus  denying  the  connection  ot 
what  he  believes  to  be  the  true  principles  of  religion  with 
the  person  and  life  of  Christ.  The  prominent  members 
of  the  Samaj  appear  to  have  indorsed  the  action  of  their 
great  leader,  and  thus  shrink  not  only  from  Christianity, 
but  from  the  position  of  their  great  leader,  Rajah  Ram 
iViohun  Roy.” 

Vedantism,  theism,  intuition,  electicism,  idealism,  mys- 
ticism, each  of  these  types  of  religious  thought  have 
given  tone  to  Brahmoism,  and  found  among  its  followers 
ardent  admirers.  In  the  lore  of  each  of  these  phases  of 
faith  they  have  studied  deeply,  and  striven  earnestly  to 
raise  themselves  up  to  God  by  their  teachings;  yet  they 
have  apprehended  Him  not.  Like  Job,  they  cried  out 
for  a daysman.  Through  stocks  and  stones,  the  creep- 
ing things  of  earth,  or  the  celestial  bodies,  they  knew 
they  could  not  reach  Him.  For  lack  of  a more  worthy 
object,  some  of  the  members  of  the  Brahmo  Samaj 
began  to  adore  their  leader,  Keshub  Chunder  Sen, 


162 


THE  ORIENT 


addressing  him  as  “Good  Lord”  and  “Redeemer,”  and 
offering  up  prayers  to  God  through  him.  Two  of  the 
Brahmo  missionaries  protested  against  this  adoration, 
and  begged  Keshub  Chunder  Sen  to  put  a stop  to  it. 

In  1874  “Indian  Mirror,”  the  organ  of  the  Brahmo 
Samaj,  claimed  that  the  spirit  of  theism  was  penetrating 
the  educated  classes  in  India,  and  that  its  membership 
was  growing  in  spiritualit}*,  but  at  the  same  time  con- 
fessed that  the  number  of  formal  adhesions  was  much 
smaller  than  formerly.  In  the  census  of  1871  but  ninety- 
two  returned  themselves  as  Brahmos.  Undoubtedly 
theism  is  gaining  continually  in  India.  Thousands  of 
young  men  who  have  been  educated  in  the  Government 
schools  have  found  their  old  faith  entirely  untenable  in 
the  light  of  physical  science.  Their  belief  in  the  old 
religion  has  been  undermined,  and  nothing  established 
in  its  place.  Brahmoism  offers  but  little  spiritual  com- 
fort, and  Christianity  demands  sacrifices  for  which  they 
have  not  sufficient  courage.  StiU,  thinking,  enquiring 
theism  is  preferable  to  stolid,  superstitious  idolatry,  and 
to  many  minds  seems  a necessary  bridge  from  Hinduism 
to  Christianity. 

The  distinctive  Brahmoism  of  the  last  centurv  can 
never  be  re^'i^’ed.  Education  is  progressing  too  rapidly. 
Under  a new  name  and  new  leader,  some  phase  of  it 
may  yet  attract  thousands  of  followers,  but  should  these 
prove  the  last  days  of  its  histor}’,  it  has  serv'ed  a good 
purpose.  As  the  peepul  trees,  whose  seeds,  placed  by 
the  builders  in  the  foundations  of  Hindu  temples,  ultimately 
rend  their  walls  asunder,  so  Brahmoism,  the  fruit  of  the 
seed  planted  by  the  founders  of  Hinduism,  has  sprung 
up  as  a disintegrating  force  in  the  midst  of  Hindu  idolatry. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


163 


A RELIGIOUS  FAIR  IN  INDIA. 

One  of  the  most  delightful  months  of  the  year  in  India, 
is  November.  Driving  winds,  cold,  drizzling  rains,  with- 
ered leaves,  and  frosty  nights,  hnd  no  place  in  its  soft 
sunshine,  balmy  evenings,  ripening  sugar-cane,  bursting 
cotton  balls,  budding  gardens,  and  green  wheat  fields. 
The  turtle  dove  coos  to  its  fellows;  gay  paroquets,  in 
screeching  flocks  dart  through  the  air;  the  Indian  blue 
jay,  in  gorgeous  winter  dress,  spreads  its  beauty  in  the 
sunny  air,  and  at  night  the  owl  and  gamut  bird,  in  dole- 
ful notes,  tell  their  contentment. 

At  the  time  of  the  full  moon  in  that  month,  melas  are 
held  at  intervals  of  fifty  or  more  miles,  on  the  sands  of 
the  river  Ganges,  from  Hurdwar,  at  the  base  of  the 
Himalaya  Mountains,  to  Saugor,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Indian  Ocean,  twelve  hundred  miles  southward.  A mela 
is  at  once  a fair  and  a camp-meeting,  combining  in  one 
the  interests  of  trade  and  religion. 

The  two  most  famous  melas  of  India  are  the  Jugger- 
nath  and  Hurdwar  melas,  but  different  shrines  through- 
out the  country  have  their  great  days,  and  there  are  holy 
days  to  be  observed  in  honor  of  the  gods,  hence  there 
are  hundreds  of  regularly  established  melas.  During 
the  rainy  season  are  melas  where  worshippers  expect  to 
receive  immunity  from  snake  bites ; at  the  beginning  of 
the  cold  season  are  melas  to  propitiate  the  god  of  the 
ear-ache,  when  the  people,  in  return  for  their  offerings. 


164 


TUE  ORIENT 


receive  a bit  clipped  from  a living  pig’s  ear  as  a specific 
against  ear-ache.  In  the  mountains  are  melas  that  bear 
a strong  resemblance  to  some  of  the  sacrifices  and  relig- 
ious rites  of  the  Hebrews. 

An  attendance  of  only  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  people 
is  considered  very  small;  from  one  to  three  hundred 
thousand  persons  is  the  usual  number,  and  occasionally, 
at  some  shrines,  are  millions  of  worshippers. 

Had  Bishop  Colenso  been  amissionary  to  India  instead 
of  xAfrica,  he  would  never  have  doubted  the  Mosaic 
account  of  Israel’s  encampments.  All  his  calculations  and 
figures  would  have  been  put  to  shame  by  facts  that  can 
only  be  comprehended  by  a beholder. 

No  description,  nothing  save  actual  count,  can  con- 
vey any  idea  of  the  number  of  Hindustani  people 
who  will  encamp  for  a week  or  more  on  a few  acres  of 
sands. 

Viewed  from  the  point  of  self-preservation  and  interest 
alone,  the  existence  of  these  vast  congregate  masses  of 
humanity  is  one  of  the  most  urgent  reasons  why  Chris- 
tian nations  should  educate  and  Christianize  India.  No 
other  heathen  rite  has  ever  so  widely  or  so  terribly  affected 
the  whole  world.  The  religious  excitement,  the  anxiety 
of  trade,  the  fierce  heat  of  the  sun  by  day,  the  cold  dews 
of  night,  insufficient  clothing  and  shelter,  and  the  dense 
herding  of  humanity  and  cattle,  combine  to  make  the 
melas  a very  hot-bed  for  the  growth  and  propagation  of 
that  most  dread  of  contagions,  the  cholera.  This  awful 
consequence  of  the  larger  melas  has  carried  disease,  sor- 
row and  death  into  far-distant  and  happy  Christian 
homes,  where  its  first  cause  was  never  even  heard  of. 
During  the  last  hundred  years,  each  visitation  of  the 


AND  ITS  FEOPLE. 


165 


cholera  has  had  its  origin  at  one  of  the  great  melas  held 
at  Hurdwar  or  Juggernath. 

The  November  melas  are  held,  not  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ganges,  but  on  the  river  bed.  Fine  groves  may  be 
near  at  hand,  but,  except  in  case  of  rain,  the  people  sel- 
dom encamp  in  them.  For  nearly  two  months  before 
the  full  moon  in  November,  no  rain  falls  in  India.  The 
river,  that  during  the  rains  is  a mile  or  more  in  width, 
then  dwindles  to  narrow  streams,  leaving  wide  islands  of 
sand,  full  of  particles  of  mica,  that  glisten  and  sparkle  in 
the  sunlight  with  an  almost  dazzling  brilliancy.  On 
these  islands  the  vast  concourse  congregates . 

For  three  or  four  days  before  the  full  moon,  the  roads 
for  many  miles  in  all  directions,  leading  to  the  mela 
sands,  are  lined  with  people  traveling  in,  and  on  many 
strange  conveyances.  Some  families  go  in  two-wheeled 
carts,  the  women  sitting  inside,  with  a large  cloth 
thrown  over  the  top  to  protect  them  from  the  gaze  of 
strangers,  while  the  husband  and  father  sits  on  the  yoke 
of  the  bullocks,  or  perhaps  on  the  tongue  of  the  cart, 
just  behind  the  oxen,  urging  them  on  by  occasional 
twists  of  their  tails.  At  the  mela  the  cart  and  cloth 
answers  the  purpose  of  a tent.  Others  ride  on  donkeys 
and  ponies  so  small,  that  the  riders’  feet  barely  escape 
the  ground;  others  in  carriages  covered  with  cloth, 
red  trimmings,  and  bells,  whose  only  seat  is  the  floor 
of  the  carriage,  are  drawn  by  handsome  white  bullocks, 
with  bells  upon  their  necks,  and  horns  and  tails  dyed  red. 
Now  and  then  a man  or  boy  goes  astride  a buffalo; 
some  in  small  horse  carts,  some  in  palanquins,  a few  on 
elephants,  occasionalh’  one  on  a camel,  and  dashing 
young  men,  with  well-oiled  hair,  and  white  skull-caps 


166 


THE  ORIENT 


placed  jauntily  on  one  side  of  the  head,  go  by,  on 
prancing  horses,  fantastically  caparisoned.  The  major- 
ity, however,  walk,  the  men  in  straggling  companies, 
dressed  in  clean  white  cotton  garments,  sometimes  wear- 
ing white  turbans,  sometimes  rose-colored,  red  or  blue, 
that  in  the  vast  crowd  add  greatly  to  the  picturesque- 
ness of  the  scene. 

Village  women  go  in  little  companies,  singing  songs 
which  a native  teacher  once  refused  to  translate  for  a 
white  woman,  for,  said  he,  “They  are  not  fit  for  a lady 
to  know.”  The  women  usually  wear  dark  blue  or  red 
cotton  skirts,  and  large  veils,  or  pieces  of  muslin,  thrown 
over  their  heads,  and  nearly  enveloping  their  entire  per- 
sons. These  are  generally  white,  or  dark  blue,  and 
sometimes  heavily  trimmed  with  tiny  mirrors. 

The  yellow-robed  pilgrims,  traveling  to  some  famous 
shrine,  often  make  it  in  their  way  to  stop  a day  or  two 
at  one  of  these  melas.  As  they  march  along,  five  or  six 
of  them  in  Indian  file,  the  leader  occasionally  calls  out, 
“Bom,  Bom  !”  shout,  shout,  and  the  rest  answer, 
“Gunga  ji  ki  jai !”  Victory  to  the  Ganges.  The  only 
baggage  of  these  pilgrims,  for  a five  hundred  or 
thousand  mile  journey,  is  a gourd  or  water  jar,  and  two 
or  three  dishes  for  cooking. 

Two  broad  streets  or  bazars,  crossing  at  right  angles, 
are  usually  laid  out  on  the  mela  ground,  by  the  police, 
b}^  order  of  the  English  Gov'ernment.  On  either  side, 
the  principal  merchants  spread  their  wares  upon  the  sand. 

The  money-changer  covers  a low,  square  box,  with  a 
red  cloth,  places  on  it  a few  coins,  and  squats  behind  it. 
To  the  poor  coolie,  who  would  buy  a handful  of  parched 
rice  for  his  dinner,  he  gives  a hundred  cowrie  shells  for 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


167 


a copper  coin  of  less  than  a cent’s  valuation;  for  the 
merchant,  whose  silver  gains  have  grown  bulky,  he  finds 
among  the  thick  folds  of  his  turban  or  waist-band  some 
gold  coins.  The  jeweler  spreads  a cloth  on  the  ground, 
and  upon  that  arranges  his  sparkling  display  of  shellac, 
pewter,  glass,  silver,  and  gold  ornaments.  The  cloth 
merchant  and  the  bookseller  erect  small  platforms,  with 
curtains  and  sheets  hung  around  to  keep  out  the  sun 
and  dust;  the  grain  merchant  spreads  his  cotton  shawl 
over  the  ground,  and  dumps  his  load  upon  it;  the  fruit 
and  orange  dealers  lay  mats  on  the  sand,  and  heap 
the  golden  balls  upon  them;  the  perfumer  spreads  his 
yard  of  cloth,  on  which  he  sits  cross-legged,  and  opens 
before  him  his  case  of  precious  oils,  some  of  them  worth 
twice  their  weight  in  gold,  his  essences,  bits  of  straw, 
and  roll  of  fresh  cotton.  When  a customer  would  buy, 
the  perfumer  sticks  a bit  of  cotton  on  the  end  of  a 
straw,  touches  it  to  the  perfume,  and  hands  it  to  the 
buyer  to  test  the  quality  of  the  scent.  The  Brahmins 
place  a few  coins  on  a bit  of  rag,  and  sit  beside  it,  singing 
a begging  song.  As  the  people  pass,  they  drop  a few 
cowrie  shells,  or  small  coins,  into  their  collections.  The 
jugglers  play  catch  with  great  butcher-knives,  grow  man- 
go-trees in  ten  minutes,  burn  and  tear  a man’s  turban  to 
rags,  and  give  it  back  to  him  whole,  take  up  handfuls  of 
dry,  glistening  sand  from  out  a pan  of  water,  whistle, 
sing,  beat  upon  their  drums,  and  with  an  outfit  costing 
scarce  a dollar,  and  contained  in  a couple  of  hand  baskets, 
perform  many  strange  and  puzzling  feats.  The  snake- 
charmer  pipes  to  his  hooded  cobras  and  similar  sweet 
pets;  the  variety  men,  with  their  needles,  pins,  tapes, 
beads,  odds  and  ends;  the  toy  men,  with  red-headed, 


168 


THE  ORIENT 


red-tailed,  blue-bodied,  yellow-saddled,  black-legged  rag 
horses,  paper  parrots,  reed  jumping-jacks, etc. ; candy  men, 
thicker  than  saloon  keepers  in  an  American  city,  who 
spread  their  sweets  on  dingy  bits  of  cloth,  tradesmen  of 
all  kinds,  and  wares  from  every  quarter  of  the  land,  all 
are  there,  close  one  against  another.  From  one  to  four 
square  yards  suffices  for  each  merchant’s  place.  A wild 
array  of  screens,  improvised  out  of  quilts,  sheets,  cloth- 
ing, mats,  rags,  anything  that  will  do  the  duty,  are 
fastened  to  bamboo  poles,  which  find  but  a shaky  foot- 
hold in  the  loose  sands. 

Up  and  down  the  wide  bazars,  all  day  long,  pushing, 
jostling,  shouting,  buying,  selling,  cheating,  sight-seeing, 
surges  the  vast  crowd.  The  angles  of  the  bazars  are 
full,  full  past  all  imagination,  of  carts,  men,  women,  chil- 
dren, and  bullocks,  a few  square  feet  answering  for  a 
family,  while  thousands  upon  thousands  lie  down  at 
night,  wrapped  in  their  sheets,  without  even  a cart  to 
cover  them,  in  herds  and  companies,  like  cattle. 

One  evening,  in  1864,  a wild  scene,  full  of  terror  and 
anxious  haste,  that  brought  most  vividly  to  mind  the 
hurried  exit  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  occurred  during  a 
mela  at  Daranugger,  a place  on  the  Ganges,  seven  miles 
from  my  home.  Just  before  sunset,  I left  the  tent  in  the 
grove,  on  the  bluff  above  the  river,  to  go  down  to  the 
mela  and  meet  my  husband,  who,  with  his  native  assist- 
ants, had  been  preaching  all  day  to  crowds  and  crowds 
of  eager  or  curious  listeners.  As  I came  near  the  bank, 
I met  numbers  of  people,  looking  lost  and  frightened. 
The  mela  was  at  its  full  tide,  when  the  whole  country 
for  miles  around  seemed  almost  deserted;  everybody  was 
away  at  the  mela,  and  I had  not  expected  to  meet  more 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


169 


than  an  occasional  straggler;  instead  there  were  tens, 
scores,  fifties,  hundreds.  In  vain  I asked,  “What’s  the 
matter  The  only  reply  was,  “All  the  people  are 
coming,”  and  as  I looked  over  the  bank  all  the  people 
were  coming,  two  hundred  thousand  of  them. 

What  a scene  it  was  ! Low  in  the  west  beyond  the 
crowd,  beyond  the  river  and  the  low  land  on  the  oppo- 
site shore,  hung  the  setting  sun,  like  a great  ball  of  fire, 
throwing  its  last  red  beams  over  a picture  of  terror  and 
confusion.  On,  on  the  people  were  coming,  in  a wild 
stampede  over  the  half  mile  of  sand  that  lay  between  the 
rnela  ground  and  the  high  bluff'  on  the  eastern  shore. 
Merchants  with  their  wares  slung  on  their  backs,  men 
hurrying  their  bullocks,  terrified  women  with  uncovered 
faces,  dragging  along  screaming  children,  cart  wheels 
wrenching  oft'  in  the  heavy  sand,  bundles  breaking  loose 
and  abandoned,  shoes  lost,  friends  lost,  families  separa- 
ted, all  hurry,  rush,  crush,  waiting  for  nothing,  any  way 
to  get  up  the  steep  road,  away,  away,  out  of  the  river 
bed.  Far  over  on  the  sand  were  the  almost  deserted 
tents  and  booths,  some  standing,  some  half  broken  down, 
and  here  and  there  solitary  bamboo  poles  stood  alone, 
where  but  a few  minutes  ago  were  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  bartering,  sight-seeing  Hindus.  For  a few 
moments  I watched  the  strange  scene,  and  was  then 
obliged  to  return  to  my  tent,  as  it  was  impossible  to  pass 
either  of  the  two  roads  leading  down  the  bluff 

Several  reasons  for  the  strange  stampede  were  given 
in  the  evening.  A report,  that  had  most  alarmed  the 
people,  had  evidently  been  started  by  thieves,  that  they 
might  thoroughly  frighten  the  crowd,  and  have  a fine 
chance  for  plunder.  It  was  that  the  English  had  planned 


170 


THE  ORIENT 


to  drown  the  vast  multitudes  that  day  assembled  at  v'ari- 
ous  points  along  the  river.  The  Ganges  canal,  which 
begins  a little  below  the  river’s  outlet  from  the  moun- 
tains, draws  oft'  a large  amount  of  water.  The  cry  was 
raised,  that  at  sunset  the  canal  gates  were  to  be  closed, 
when  the  whole  volume  of  the  river  would  come  pouring 
down  over  the  sands.  But  the  waters  came  not,  and 
gradually  through  the  night  the  greater  part  of  the 
crowd  went  back  to  their  trade  and  bathing. 

At  these  gatherings,  the  priests  give  the  people  notice 
of  the  hour  when  the  moon  is  full,  and  then  is  the  grand  rush 
for  the  water,  all  anxious  to  be  in  at  the  most  propitious 
moment.  Formerly  numbers  of  people  were  drowned 
every  year,  but  under  the  rule  of  the  English  government 
policemen  and  boats  are  stationed  to  prevent  accidents. 

B}'  the  next  day  the  crowd  are  nearly'  all  gone,  and 
the  day  after  crows  and  vultures  swoop  down  to  pick  up 
stray  fragments,  and  alligators  sun  themselves  on  the 
sands. 

Missionaries  always  make  it  a point  to  attend  these 
melas,  usuallv  going  to  the  one  nearest  their  own  homes. 
They  pitch  their  tents  in  some  neighboring  grove,  and 
not  on  the  sands,  on  account  of  the  great  heat  of  the  day, 
and  the  continuous  noise  through  the  night  of  drumming, 
singing  and  talking. 

Early  in  the  morning,  the  missionary  and  his  native 
preachers  leave  their  tents,  taking  their  dinners  with 
them,  and  go  on  the  sands  among  the  people.  With  a 
cart  for  a rostrum,  they  take  turns  in  preaclving.  All  day 
long  the  thick  crowd  sways  around  them,  some  coming, 
some  going,  some  listening  for  hours,  some  asking  ques- 
tions, some  with  tears  i oiling  down  their  dusky  cheeks. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


171 


as  they  hear  the  story  of  Jesus,  and  hundreds  with 
approving  nod,  repeat,  “True  word,  true  word.” 
Thousands  hear  the  Word  of  Life  at  the  melas  from  the 
missionaries,  and  we  may  expect  to  see  some  of  them  in 
heaven,  even  though  they  may  never  have  been  called 
Christians.  They  go  from  the  melas  and  carry  the 
story  of  Jesus,  and  the  freely  distributed  tracts,  to 
thousands  of  dark  homes. 

One  afternoon,  as  I was  sitting  in  a grove  near  a 
mela,  waiting  for  the  tent,  I saw  a little  girl  about  nine 
years  old  shyly  approaching  me,  and  I called  her  saying: 
“Ao  lurki,  ao,  ao,”  that  is,  “Come  here,  little  girl, 
come,  come;”  so  she  came,  but  was  very  timid,  as  she 
had  never  spoken  to  a white  lady  before.  She  lost  her 
shyness  somewhat  in  talking  about  the  little  golden-haired 
daughter,  who  was  playing  among  the  trees. 

By-and-by  I asked  her  where  she  lived.  She  said 
that  she  lived  in  a village  a little  way  oft'.  “Are  your 
friends  going  to  the  mela  ?”  I asked. 

She  said  that  they  were,  and  that  they  were  going  to 
another  mela  about  fifty  miles  distant  in  a few  days. 
There  was  another  god  there  that  they  must  worship. 
For  nearly  two  years  their  family  had  had  great  trouble. 
Her  uncle  had  died,  her  aunt  had  been  very  sick,  her 
father  was  not  well,  some  of  the  crops  had  failed,  they 
had  suffered  so  many  losses,  and  her  grandmother 
said,  it  was  all  because  they  had  not  worshipped  that 
god. 

“I  never  worshipped  him,”  said  I.  “If  he  is  the  cause 
of  all  your  troubles,  because  you  have  not  worshipped 
him  enough,  why  does  he  not  trouble  me  ?” 

“Every  people  has  their  own  god,”  she  answered. 


172 


THE  ORIEXT 


“Who  is  it  that  you  worship  ?’  I asked.  “Who  is  it 
that  the  Muhammedans  worship,  whom  do  the  foreigners 
worship  ?” 

“We  worship  Bhagwan,  the  Muhammedans  worship 
Muhammed,  but,”  she  added,  with  clasped  hands  and 
uplifted  eyes,  “you  pray  to  That  One  over  all.” 

Some  of  her  friends  had  perhaps  heard  the  missionary 
or  some  of  the  native  preachers  telling  of  the  Saviour  at 
the  melas  or  in  the  market  places,  or  perhaps  had  seen  a 
tract,  and  she  had  heard  them  talking  about  it.  I told 
her  more  of  Jesus,  how  He  died  for  all,  how  He  loves 
all.  Perhaps  she  will  sometimes  “pray  to  That  One 
over  all.”  Surely  He  will  hear  her.  She  may  never 
hear  anything  more  about  the  Saviour  than  what  her 
heathen  friends  ma}’’  know  to  tell.  No  woman,  however 
poor  or  humble,  ever  mingles  in  the  crowd  to  listen  to 
preaching,  so  she  cannot  learn  anything  in  that  way. 
Where  she  lives  there  is  but  one  missionary  and  two 
or  three  native  preachers  to  carry  the  word  of  God  to  a 
million  people. 

On  the  last  evening  of  the  mela,  the  people  take  little 
earthen  saucers,  put  a little  oil  and  lighted  wick  in  it,  and 
set  it  afloat  on  the  stream.  If  the  light  floats  far  and 
long,  it  is  to  them  a sign  of  good  fortune,  but  if  it  sinks 
quickly,  the  owner  goes  home  with  a heavy  heart,  and 
anticipates  great  trouble  through  the  year.  It  is  a strange, 
weird  sight  to  see  the  hundreds  of  tiny  lights  floating 
down  the  stream,  to  watch  the  white  figures  and  anxious 
faces  of  the  men,  scarce  revealed  in  the  dim  light,  as 
they  eagerly  follow  their  floating  beacon,  or  stoop  with 
trembling  hands  to  steady  their  little  flickering,  uncertain 
lights,  so  heavily  freighted  with  hopes  and  fears. 


AlfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


173 


BIBLE  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  INDIA. 

The  lives  and  habits  of  the  people  of  India  are  a living 
and  constant  illustration,  of  the  manners  and  customs 
spoken  of  or  alluded  to  in  the  Bible. 

It  is  certainly  surprising  to  Americans,  that  in  this  age 
of  progress  or  invention,  any  nation  or  people  under  the 
sun  should  still  preserve  the  manners,  dress,  and  modes 
of  speech  and  thought  of  one,  two,  and  even  three 
thousand  years  ago.  If  we  remember,  however,  that  it 
is  to  the  Hindus,  seemingly  as  important  to  their  welfare, 
to  do  as  their  forefathers  have  done,  to  follow  the  estab- 
lished customs,  as  we  deem  it  important  to  our  well  being 
to  seek  out  improvements,  we  may  be  better  able  to  un- 
derstand the  facts.  A little  discussion  I once  had  with  a 
cook  will  illustrate  the  tenacity  with  which  they  cling  to 
the  old  ways.  The  butter  is  churned  in  India  every 
morning  from  fresh  milk.  This  is  necessar}^  through 
the  hot  season,  as  the  milk  sours  before  noon.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year,  as  the  weather  grew  a little  cool,  I asked 
my  cook  to  put  the  milk  in  dishes,  so  that  the  cream 
might  rise,  in  order  to  make  butter  from  it.  He  was 
very  much  surprised  at  such  a request,  and  for  several 
days  paid  no  attention  to  my  order,  and  then  insisted  that 
butter  could  not  be  made  in  that  way.  I told  him  that  I 
knew  it  could  be  done. 

“Indeed  you  are  mistaken,”  said  he.  “It  is  not  the 
custom  to  do  so.  Our  forefathers  never  made  butter  in 
that  way;  it  cannot  be  done.” 


174 


THE  ORIENT 


“But  my  forefathers  always  made  butter  in  that  way,” 
I replied,  “and  for  once  we  will  try  viy  forefather’s  plan.” 

He  was  speechless  before  my  forefather  argument,  and 
we  had  butter  from  cream. 

The  following  are  a few  illustrations  of  Bible  times 
which  came  under  my  own  observation  in  India. 

The  stor\’  of  Abraham  entertaining  the  three  stran- 
gers, or  buying  the  cave  of  Macphelah,  reads  in  the  lan- 
guage of  India  hke  transactions  of  to-day.  The  same 
obsequious  manners,  the  same  courteous  expressions  are 
in  daily  use  among  the  natives  of  India.  As  Ephron  the 
Hittite  first  made  Abraham  a present  of  the  field  and 
cave  of  Macphelah,  and  afterwards  took  a good  round 
sum  in  payment,  so  among  the  natives  of  India,  courtesy 
demands  that  the  seller  should  first  sa}'  to  the  buyer,  “It 
is  yours,”  and  then  negotiate  for  payment. 

Every  evening,  as  the  poor  women  went  to  the  weUs 
to  draw  water,  we  were  reminded  of  Abraham’s  servant, 
who  with  his  camels  rested  by  the  well,  so  that  at  evening 
time,  when  the  women  came  out  to  draw  water,  he 
might  see  the  maids  and  choose  a wife  for  his  master’s 
son. 

No  illustration  could  more  forcibly  impress  the  mind 
of  the  Hindustani,  that  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was 
to  be  sudden  and  terrible,  than  the  prophecy,  “Two 
women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill;  the  one  shall  be 
taken,  and  the  other  left.”  The  flour  is  ground  daily  by 
the  women  of  the  famil}'.  The  women  rise  early  in  the 
morning,  to  grind  during  the  cool  of  the  day,  as  it  is 
very  hard,  heavy  work.  If  there  is  but  one  woman  in 
the  famih',  she  must  grind  the  flour;  if  there  are  two 
women,  they  sit  down  on  either  side  of  the  mill  stones, 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


175 


each  in  the  same  position,  each  turning  the  handle  with 
the  right  hand,  each  putting  in  the  wheat  with  the  left 
hand.  Were  they  suddenly  alarmed,  their  chances  of 
escape  would  be  equal,  and  yet  Christ  prophesied  that  in 
that  day  of  terror  one  should  be  taken  and  the  other  left. 

The  foes  of  the  Hindustani  husbandmen  are  many, 
and  the  most  constant  watch-care  is  necessary  to  insure 
a return  for  the  labor  of  plowing  and  sowing.  An 
experience  my  husband  had  in  attempting  to  grow 
sweet  corn,  the  seed  of  which  had  come  from  America 
by  mail,  reminded  us  of  the  devourers  mentioned  by  the 
prophet  Joel,  “That  which  the  palmer- worm  hath  left 
hath  the  locust  eaten ; and  that  which  the  locust  hath  left 
hath  the  canker-worm  eaten;  and  that  which  the  canker- 
worm  hath  left  hath  the  caterpillar  eaten.”  The  seed 
fortunately  reached  India  shortly  before  the  rains,  just  in 
season  for  planting.  A little  plat  in  the  garden  had 
been  most  carefully  prepared,  and  the  corn  was  sown. 
Eagerly  we  watched  for  the  first  sprouts,  as  only  a very 
poor  quality  of  corn  is  grown  in  India,  and  we  were 
longing  for  something  better.  But  the  ground-mice 
scented  the  sweet  kernels,  and  picked  out  a good  deal. 
In  a few  days  the  rains  came  and  drove  the  mice  from 
the  ground,  and  also  the  field  rats  from  their  holes. 
Some  of  the  latter  coming  to  the  garden,  found  the  corn 
and  ate  more  of  it.  What  was  left  took  root  and  sent  up  its 
bright  green  blades.  The  parrots  espied  them,  and 
came  swooping  down  upon  the  treasure.  We  hired  a 
small  boy  to  keep  the  parrots  oft',  and  thought  that  at 
least  we  might  raise  a few  ears  for  seed  corn  for  another 
year;  but  alas  for  our  hopes.  One  day,  while  the  boy 
was  at  his  dinner,  a couple  of  buft'aloes  broke  in  the 


176 


THE  ORIENT 


garden  and  ate  up  every  remaining  blade.  That  which 
the  ground-mice  left,  the  rats  ate,  that  which  the  rats 
left,  the  parrots  ate,  that  which  the  parrots  left,  the  buffa- 
loes finished. 

“Take  up  thy  bed  and  walk”  is  a passage  brought 
daily  to  mind  in  India,  and  always  with  at  least  an  inward 
smile  at  the  recollection  of  the  gravity  with  which  wise 
old  doctors  of  divinity  used  to  explain  that  “the  bed  was 
probably  some  sort  of  a mat;”  that  it  might  have  been  a 
four-poster  was  not  among  the  probabilities,  and  yet  the 
ordinary  bed  of  the  people  of  India  is  a genuine  four- 
poster,  and  so  light  that  a woman  can  easily  carry  a bed 
and  bedding  on  her  head,  and  yet  walk  stately  and  erect 
as  a queen. 

Almost  every  phase  of  agriculture  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  is  illustrated  in  India.  As  the  children  of  Israel 
journeyed  from  Eg}-pt  to  Canaan,  the  Lord  promised 
that  Canaan  should  not  be  as  Egypt,  which  they  watered 
with  the  foot.  The  fields  in  India  are  prepared  after 
ploughing,  by  laying  them  out  into  small  beds,  separated 
by  little  ridges  of  earth.  Narrow  channels  for  water, 
run  the  whole  length  of  the  field.  Water  is  drawn  in 
large  leathern  buckets  from  the  wells.  As  the  water 
rvms  in  the  channels,  the  gardener  with  his  foot  pushes 
away  the  earth  on  one  side,  leaving  a little  space  for  the 
water  to  run  into  the  adjoining  bed.  When  that  is  filled 
he  closes  the  breach,  and  opens  another  bed  with  his 
foot,  and  so  on,  until  the  whole  field  is  watered. 

After  the  grain  is  up,  it  is  necessary  to  watch  it  day 
and  night  until  it  is  ripe.  Four  stout  bamboos,  eight  or 
ten  feet  high,  are  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  near  the  top 
a light  bedstead  is  securely  fastened.  Over  the  top  a 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


177 


light  thatch  is  placed  to  protect  the  watchman  from  the 
sun  and  rain.  Day  and  night  he  sits  there,  shouting  all 
day  to  the  crows  and  parrots,  and  at  night  ready  to 
drive  away  thieves,  jackals,  or  stray  cattle.  In  large 
gardens  a little  thatch  is  often  set  up,  under  which  one 
man  can  sleep  at  night.  Isaiah  compares  the  desolation 
of  Jerusalem,  the  loneliness  of  the  Daughter  of  Zion,  to 
a lodge  in  a garden  of  cucumbers.  The  poor,  scare- 
crow, Hindustani  farmer  needs  no  commentary  on  that 
passage. 

“He  putteth  in  the  sickle  because  the  harvest  has 
come,”  said  the  Saviour  1800  years  ago,  and  still  the 
Indian  farmer  puts  in  the  sickle;  all  the  grain  for  250,- 
000,000  people  is  gathered  in  handfuls,  with  the  sickle. 

In  the  Mosaic  law  we  read,  “Thou  shalt  not  muzzle 
the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn.”  In  India  the  ox  still 
treads  out  the  grain.  A threshing  floor  is  prepared  by 
spreading  over  the  ground  a stiff  clay,  which  forms  a 
crust  that  cannot  be  easily  broken.  A stake  is  driven  in 
the  center,  the  sheaves  of  wheat  laid  around  it,  and  the 
oxen  driven  over  it  until  the  straw  is  all  broken  into  chaff. 
Obedience  or  otherwise  to  the  law  of  Moses  appears  to 
depend  on  the  character  of  the  ox.  A greedy  or  refractory 
ox  is  muzzled,  but  a well-behaved  ox  is  left  free.  John 
compares  Christ  to  the  harvester,  and  says,  “Whose  fan 
is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor.” 
In  translating  that  verse,  the  translators  did  not  have  to 
go  back  to  the  Sanskrit  to  find  a word  equivalent  to  fan. 
The  article  called  a sop,  used  on  every  threshing  floor  in 
India,  is  just  what  John  referred  to  in  the  verse  quoted. 
It  is  made  of  large  straws  in  the  shape  of  a dust-pan,  but 
three  or  four  times  larger.  The  farmer  spreads  a sheet 


178 


THE  ORIEXT 


on  the  ground,  fills  the  sop  with  straw  and  wheat  from 
the  threshing  floor,  holds  it  up  at  arms’  length,  and 
shakes  it  lightly.  The  wheat  falls  on  the  sheet,  and  the 
wind  carries  the  chaff  beyond.  After  the  threshing  is 
over,  every  particle  of  chaff'  and  wheat  is  swept  up  for 
use,  and  the  floors  are  left  as  clean  as  though  wheat  was 
an  unknown  thing;  and  so  the  Lord  will  thoroughly 
purge  his  floor. 

All  native  houses  of  an}'  pretension  whatever  are  built 
around  a court,  and  in  the  court  is  often  some  tree.  Such 
a tree  by  its  surroundings  is  shielded  from  the  fury  of  the 
dust  storms,  and  is  carefully  watered  and  cherished  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  house.  When  the  Hindustanf 
people  read  in  the  Psalms,  “I  am  like  a green  olive  tree 
in  the  house  of  God,”  they  well  understand  how  secure 
in  God’s  favor  is  that  man,  they  understand  how  pleasing 
he  is  to  God,  they  know  how  beloved  he  is  of  God. 

Walled  or  fenced  cities,  such  as  are  frequently 
spoken  of  in  the  Old  Testament,  are  everywhere  seen 
in  India.  The  farmers  do  not  live  in  separate  houses  on 
their  respective  fields,  as  in  this  country.  The  preva- 
lence of  wild  animals,  and,  before  the  English  rule,  the 
marauding  of  robber  bands,  and  the  oppression  of  the 
native  rulers,  obliged  the  people  to  live  together  in  little 
villages  for  mutual  protection  and  greater  strength.  The 
villages  are  usually  built  around  a square,  each  house 
joined  one  against  another.  There  are  no  doors  or 
windows  in  the  back  of  the  houses,  towards  the  fields. 
All  doors  open  within  the  village.  Two  or  three  gate- 
ways lead  to  the  fields.  Other  villages  are  protected  by 
hedges  of  cactus  or  bamboos.  A fence  of  bamboos  is 
probably  the  best  fortification  in  the  w'orld.  The  cannon 


AJ\D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


179 


ball  glides  through  the  smooth  canes,  but  makes  no 
breach.  The  briars  and  tangle  make  it  impassable  to 
either  man  or  beast,  and  he  would  be  a hardy  fool  indeed 
who  would  attempt  to  cut  through  it,  for  no  screen  could 
protect  him  from  the  shots  of  the  besieged. 

Job,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Micaheach  speak  of  shaving 
the  head  as  a sign  of  bereavement.  A Hindu  son  upon 
the  death  of  his  father  is  required  to  shave  his  entire 
person,  as  part  of  the  mourning  ceremonies. 

Europeans  traveling  on  the  mountains  of  India,  are 
often  reminded  of  the  prophecy  concerning  John  the 
Baptist:  “The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
‘Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths 
straight.’”  A native  official,  called  a chupprassi,  with 
w'ritten  authority  from  the  magistrate  of  the  district,  pre- 
cedes the  traveler  to  collect  coolies  to  carry  the  traveler’s 
tents  and  goods.  In  the  mountains  the  chupprassi  often 
goes  only  wdthin  hailing  distance  of  the  villages,  thereby 
saving  himself  two  or  three  miles  walk  around  the 
valley.  When  the  villagers  do  not  know  his  voice,  it  is 
necessary  for  him  to  stand  in  sight,  so  that  the  people 
ma}'  know^  by  his  clean  clothes  and  red  sash  that  he  has 
authority.  He  shouts  to  the  headman  of  the  village, 
commanding  him  to  send  so  many  men  to  such  a place, 
at  such  a time,  to  carry  the  traveler  ten  miles  on  his  way. 
If  the  road  is  in  any  place  washed  dowm  or  overgrowm 
with  weeds,  the  chupprassi  orders  more  men  out  to  make 
the  paths  straight  and  clear. 

We  see  the  command,  “loose  thy  shoe  from  off  thy 
foot,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground,” 
follow  ed  every  day  by  the  Muhammedans.  A devout 
Muhammedan,  wffierever  he  is,  or  whatever  his  business, 


180 


THE  ORIENT 


at  the  setting  of  the  sun  takes  off  his  turban,  or  cotton 
shawl,  and  spreads  it  on  the  ground.  That  spot  has 
become  to  him  hoh'  ground.  He  takes  off  his  shoes, 
and  if  water  is  at  hand,  washes  his  feet;  if  not,  he  rubs 
them  with  sand.  Then  he  steps  on  the  consecrated 
place,  and  bowing  to  the  west,  towards  Mecca,  prays. 

When  I was  in  Madras,  the  tenth  chapter  of  Matthew 
was  read  one  morning,  at  prayers,  in  the  family  where  I 
was  stopping.  Five  or  six  native  Christian  young  men, 
who  were  boarders  in  the  family,  were  present.  At  the 
close  of  the  chapter,  the  missionary  remarked  that  no 
comment  or  illustration  was  needed  to  make  it  plain  to 
the  students,  for  their  own  lives  and  experiences  had 
made  them  know  how  a man’s  foes  shall  be  the\^  of  his 
own  household.  When  two  of  the  young  men  then 
present  had  been  baptized,  and  professed  themselves 
Christians,  their  friends  and  parents  took  them  to  court. 
When  it  was  proven  that  the  young  men  were  of  age, 
and  were  therefore  free  to  follow  their  own  wishes,  and 
when  the  entreaties,  tears,  commands,  and  threats  of 
their  friends  had  failed  to  make  the  young  men  recant, 
force  was  tried.  One  of  them  soon  made  his  escape 
from  his  captors.  The  other,  bound  with  ropes  and 
chains,  was  carried  away  a hundred  miles  before  he 
could  escape.  Unless  he  would  recant,  death  was  cer- 
tain. At  last  he  fled,  and  hungry,  faint,  wounded,  fear- 
ing every  moment  that  he  should  be  overtaken,  he  made 
his  way  to  the  sea  shore.  There  he  found  the  owner 
of  a katmaran,  and  by  a promise  of  a large  reward,  per- 
suaded the  man  to  take  him  to  Madras,  a hundred  miles 
distant.  A katmaran  is  a small  raft  of  three  or  four  logs 
lashed  together.  It  affords  scarce  more  than  foothold 


AliD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


181 


for  one  man,  and  is  half  the  time  under  water.  He  did 
not  dare  stop  through  the  day,  nor  to  enter  a village  at 
night,  for  fear  of  discovery.  For  a week  the  fierce  sun 
beat  on  his  unsheltered  head,  as  he  clung  to  his  deluged 
and  slippery  raft.  Ah,  what  a heavy  cross  he  bore  for 
Christ ! On  the  one  hand  lay  honor,  respectability, 
wealth,  a mother’s  fond  and  happy  heart,  a father’s  pride 
and  blessing,  a beautiful  child  wife,  a secure  home,  and 
— the  darkness  of  Hinduism.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
saw  hard  work,  contempt,  persecutions,  the  child  wife 
doomed  for  life  to  the  bitter  disgrace  and  slavery  of  wid- 
owhood, the  curses  of  father  and  mother,  and — the  hope 
and  assurance  of  Christianity. 

Such  persecutions  and  trials  are  not  the  exception,  but 
the  rule;  the  lack  of  them  the  almost  unknown  excep- 
tion. In  persecution  none  are  more  bitter,  more  cruel, 
or  more  persevering,  than  the  wives  and  mothers.  Not 
from  want  of  love,  but  from  intensity  of  love.  In  the 
darkness  of  her  ignorance,  she  sees  the  beloved,  by  his 
heresy,  doomed  to  endless  transmigrations  of  soul  through 
the  forms  of  vile  creatures,  instead  of  entrance  into  the 
heaven  of  the  Hindus,  which  is  to  them  a speedy 
absorption  into  Bruhm. 

Shall  the  women  of  America  fail  to  do  their  share 
toward  raising  this  darkness  from  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  women  of  India  ? 


182 


THE  ORIENT 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  MUTINY  IN  LUCKNOW. 

“The  Residency,”  which  was  the  site  of  the  longest 
and  most  severe  conflict  between  the  English  and  the, 
native  insurgent  troops,  during  the  mutiny  of  1857,  was 
before  the  annexation  to  the  British  crown  of  the  King- 
dom of  Oude  in  1856,  the  home  of  “the  Resident,”  or 
English  ambassador,  at  the  court  of  Oude.  Afterward 
it  became  the  house  of  the  “chief  commissioner,”  or 
Governor,  of  the  kingdom.  It  included  several  acres  of 
ground,  “with  various  buildings,  such  as  a large  ban- 
queting-hall,  guard  houses,  and  several  official  residences, 
grouped  around  the  main  buildings;  with  open  spaces 
between,  lawns,  flower-gardens,  etc.  The  Residency 
itself  was  situated  on  a rising  ground,  if  a few  yards 
above  the  plain  can  be  so  described.” 

The  siege  of  Lucknow  is,  in  many  respects,  one  of  the 
most  memorable  in  the  world’s  history.  In  no  other 
siege  have  the  odds  been  so  fearful,  the  besieged  so  far 
from  their  native  land  and  succor.  For  six  months,  from 
June  to  November,  during  the  hottest  months,  in  one  of 
the  hottest  countries  of  the  earth,  they  endured  and 
fought,  not  for  rule,  not  for  power  or  treasure,  but  simply 
for  their  lives,  for  the  honor  of  their  women. 

The  story  of  Cawnpore  was  short  and  tragical.  For 
twenty  days,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  Europeans,  men 
women,  and  children,  strove  to  defend  themselves  from 
the  fierce  Nana  Sahib.  Sheltered  mainly  by  thatched 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE.  183 

roofs,  their  artillery-men  all  killed,  many  ill  and  wounded, 
ammunition  fallen  short,  rations  reduced  to  a gill  of 
flour  and  a handful  of  split  peas  daily,  no  water  to  be 
obtained  except  from  a well  on  an  open  plain,  exposed  to 
the  enemy’s  fire,  and  obliged  to  throw  their  dead  in 
another  well,  they  could  hold  out  no  longer.  The 
Nana  Sahib  oflered  terms  of  surrender,  and  boats  to  con- 
vey them  to  Calcutta.  They  accepted  his  terms,  and 
marched  to  the  boats.  After  they  had  entered  them,  the 
Nana  ordered  the  thatched  roofs  of  the  boats  to  be  set 
on  fire.  As  they  scrambled  from  the  boats  to  escape  the 
fire,  the  native  troops  began  killing  the  men  right  and 
left.  All  but  four,  who  escaped  by  swimming  down  the 
river,  were  slain.  Two  hundred  and  six  women  and 
children  were  taken  back,  and  confined  in  two  rooms, 
twenty  feet  by  ten.  For  nineteen  days  they  were  shut 
up  there.  The  Nana  Sahib  spent  those  nineteen  days, 
in  feasting  and  rejoicing  over  his  victory  over  the  English. 
Then  he  heard  that  Havelock  was  coming.  The  hand- 
writing was  on  the  wall,  and  he  trembled.  The  dead 
speak  not,  and  he  ordered  his  soldiers  to  kill  the  women 
and  children,  but  they  would  not  obey  so  cruel  an  order. 
Five  butchers  were  found,  who  entered  the  house,  shut 
the  door,  and  when  they  came  forth  it  was  to  throw  two 
hundred  and  six  persons,  dead  and  dying,  into  a deep 
well. 

With  rumors  of  this  cruelty  to  terrify  them,  and  the 
certain  knowledge  of  other  horrors  perpetrated  by  fanatic 
Muhammedans  in  other  places,  they  in  the  Residency 
fought  bravely  to  defend  themselves  from  like  barbarity. 

Two  of  the  grandest  heroes,  the  most  illustrious  sol- 
diers of  the  century,  laid  down  their  lives  and  won  last- 


184 


THE  ORIENT 


ing  fame  at  the  siege  of  Lucknow.  Men  who  sought 
not  fame,  who  passed  away  before  deserved  honors 
could  reach  them,  men  who  simply  and  in  God’s  fear, 
tried  to  do  their  duty.  These  were  Sir  Henry  Law- 
rence, the  defender  of  the  Residency,  and  Sir  Henr}’^ 
Havelock,  who  fought  his  way  six  hundred  miles, 
through  a hostile  people,  to  relieve  and  rescue  the  gallant 
remnant  of  men  and  women  in  the  Lucknow  Residency. 

A few  paragraphs,  selected  from  Dr.  Butler’s  “Land 
of  the  Veda,”  and  Dr.  Norman  Macleod’s  “Days  in 
North  India,”  give  a clear  and  concise  view  of  some  of 
the  difficulties  and  terrible  scenes  of  the  siege. 

Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  after  spending  more  than  thirty 
years  in  the  military  and  civil  service  in  India,  was 
appointed  Governor  of  the  Kingdom  of  Oude.  He 
reached  Lucknow,  the  capital,  and  entered  upon  his 
duties  early  in  1857.  “He  was  fully  prepared  for  the 
revolt  long  before  it  broke  out,  with  marvelous  sagacity 
taking  in  the  probable  future.”  “He  had  kept  hundreds 
da}'  and  night  employed  in  throwing  up  such  defenses 
as  could  be  extemporized  within  a few  weeks,  in  order 
that  guns  might  be  placed  in  the  best  possible  position. 
He  had  also  laid  in  such  a store  of  every  kind  of  provis- 
ion for  man  and  beast,  as  well  as  of  every  kind  of  shot 
and  shell  for  such  men  and  beasts  as  might  be  opposed 
to  him.  So  large  was  the  quantity  of  ammunition  in 
store,  that  they  never  ran  short,  even  after  having  retired 
from  the  fort  of  Muchee  Bhowun,  and  blowing  it  up  with 
two  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  gunpowder  !” 

On  the  31st  of  May,  every  city  in  Oude,  save  Luck- 
now, was  seized  by  the  Sepoys,  and  deeds  of  cruelty 
and  blood  perpetrated  which  shocked  the  whole  civilized 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


1S5 


world.  “Sir  Henry  Lawrence  at  once  collected  all  the 
civilians  and  Christian  residents  of  Lucknow,  with  a few 
native  troops,  whose  fidelity  he  could  trust,  and  over 
whom  he  exerted  a wonderful  influence,  into  the  Resi- 
dency, and  some  other  houses  close  to  it.  Meanwhile, 
the  reports  of  the  fiendish  atrocities  of  Dilhi,  Meerut, 
Shahjehanpore,  Bareilly,  and  other  places,  reached 
Lucknow,  and  its  few  hundred  anxious  Christian  people 
began  to  realize  more  fully  how  completely  they  were 
cut  off  from  all  human  assistance,  and  how'  dark  their 
own  future  was  becoming. 

Sir  Henry  now  redoubled  his  efforts  to  complete  the 
batteries,  stockades,  and  trenches  around  his  position, 
and  prepare  for  whatever  might  occur.  Hearing,  on  the 
29th  of  June,  that  the  insurgents  were  approaching 
Lucknow,  he  concluded  to  march  out  with  a part  of  his 
little  force,  hoping  to  defeat  them  before  they  reached 
the  city,  and  so  save  himself  from  investment,  and  the 
city  from  being  taken ; but,  unfortunately,  his  information 
of  the  strength  of  the  foe  was  defective,  and  in  the 
moment  of  emergency,  when  he  suddenly  came  upon 
them  at  Chinhut,  seven  miles  from  Lucknow,  he  found 
his  little  force  of  six  hundred  and  thirty-six  men  and 
eleven  guns  in  front  of  an  enemy  fifteen  thousand  strong, 
with  six  batteries  of  guns  of  various  calibre,  all  ready  to 
receive  him.  Before  his  force  could  recover  their  sur- 
prise, the  foe  opened  upon  them,  the  cavalry  quickly  out- 
flanking them,  and  it  seemed  for  awhile  as  though  not  a 
man  could  escape  to  tell  the  tale.”  After  a short,  brave 
fight.  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  and  his  men,  entirely  overcome 
by  such  fearful  odds,  tried  to  return  to  Lucknow.  Only 
about  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  of  their  number 


186 


THE  ORIENT 


reached  the  Residency;  they  saved  only  sixty-five  of 
their  wounded,  the  rest  were  ruthlessly  murdered  by  the 
Sepo}"s. 

“The  Residency  now  became  a scene  of  confusion, 
the  women  and  children  rushing  to  find  a place  of  refuge 
from  the  relentless  foe,  who,  flushed  with  victory,  were 
approaching  with  flying  colors,  and  drums  beating,  con- 
fident of  an  easy  triumph  over  the  remnant  that  remained. 
The  defenses  were  hastily  completed.  Barricades  were 
formed  in  all  exposed  situations,  and  it  is  marvelous  to 
read  the  elements  of  which  some  of  them  were  composed 
— mahogany  tables,  and  valuable  furniture  of  all  kinds, 
carriages  and  carts,  the  records  of  Government  offices 
in  large  chests,  boxes  of  stationery,  and  whatever  could 
be  laid  hold  of  and  piled  up,  to  cover  from  the  enemy’s 
fire,  or  stop  a bullet.  Even  Captain  Hayes’s  famous 
library,  consisting  of  invaluable  Oriental  manuscripts, 
the  standard  literary  and  scientific  works  of  European 
nations,  and  dictionaries  of  almost  every  language,  were 
converted  into  barricades. 

The  entire  number  now  inside  the  Residency,  including 
those  holding  the  fort  of  Muchee  Bhowun,  near  by,  was 


as  follows: 

Men— European  soldiers 629 

civilians 298 

Native  soldiers 765 


Total  bearing  arms 1,692 

Women 240 

Children 3!0 

Total  inside  the  Residency 2,242 


There  they  remained  till  November  26th,  bombarded 
every  night  by  tens  of  thousands  of  native  troops,  who  held 
the  city  and  occupied  the  surrounding  buildings— firing 
eighteen  pounders  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


187 


of  the  defenses;  and  all  this  during  the  hottest  months  of 
an  Indian  climate.  The  ladies  were  crowded  into  small 
rooms;  huddled  together  in  cellars,  to  escape  shot  and 
shell;  deserted  by  native  servants,  and  obliged  to  wash 
and  cook;  to  watch  sick  children  and  sick  friends;  to 
prepare  meat  and  drink  for  those  working  in  the  batter- 
ies; to  come  into  daily  and  almost  hourly  contact  with 
disease,  and  death,  and  suffering  in  every  form;  to  hear 
the  incessant  roar  of  guns  and  musketry;  and  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  bursting  of  a shell  or  the  crash  of  a cannon- 
ball at  any  moment  in  their  place  of  retreat.  What  the 
nervous  system  of  those  thus  exposed  during  these  six 
months  suffered,  none  but  they  who  have  endured  the 
like  can  conceive.” 

Perhaps  nothing  could  give  a more  vivid  idea  of  the 
sorrows,  perils,  and  anxieties  of  their  situation,  than  a 
few  extracts  from  a diary  kept  in  the  Residency,  by  a 
lady,  during  the  whole  six  months  of  the  siege.  Her 
husband  and  two  children  were  shut  up  with  her.  The 
most  striking  feature  of  this  diary  is  its  terrible  sameness. 
Day  by  day,  night  after  night,  there  is  the  same  awful 
record  of  ceaseless  roaring  of  artillery,  and  bursting  of 
shells — of  sudden  attacks  bravely  resisted — of  desperate 
sallies  successfully  made — of  mines  met  by  counter 
mines — of  deaths  and  midnight  funerals — and  of  sore 
wounds  and  ^he  sudden  destruction  of  some  beloved  one 
by  shot  or  shell.  In  reading  such  narratives — and  how 
many  were  furnished  by  the  year  1857  from  Northern 
India  !— -we  feel  as  if  we  never  knew  human  nature  befoie, 
nor  comprehended  how  it  is  capable  of  enduring,  for 
weeks  and  months,  slow  agonies  that  might  be  sufficient 
in  a single  night  to  extinguish  in  most  people  reason,  if 


IS8  TUE  ORIENT 

not  life  itself.  Here  are  the  rapid  jottings  of  two  Sun- 
days in  the  same  month: 

“Sunday  No.  i. — An  attack  near  the  European  hospi- 
tal during  the  night,  but  comparatively  quiet  here;  the 
enemy  unsuccessful.  Three  round  shot  came  through 
the  dome  of  the  drawing  room  this  morning.  This  is 
fearfully  near,  and  makes  us  feel  more  and  more  that  we 
know  not  when  the  day  and  hour  of  our  call  may  come. 
May  a Father  in  Heaven  have  mercy  on  us  ! for  His 
dear  Son’s  sake  make  us  ready  ! Mr.  A — , 7th  Cav- 
alry, shot  dead,  looking  out  from  the  Cawnpore  battery, 
and  Mr.  H — had  his  leg  broken  from  a round  shot 
hitting  a table,  the  leg  ol  which  broke  his.  Round  shot 
of  seven  and  nine  pounds  through  the  dome.  During 
the  night  a screen  made  to  protect  from  musketry  at  an 
exposed  corner.  Mr.  Gubbins  read  the  service  about 
tnree  P.  M.  Mr.  Polehampton,  our  chaplain,  feared  to 
be  dying  of  cholera,  at  the  European  hospital,  where  he 
and  Mrs.  P.  have  been  living  for  some  time,  doing  much 
good.” 

“Sunday  No.  2. — Poor  Mrs.  G.’s  boy  ill  all  night;  no 
hope  of  him.  Her  other  two  children  brought  up  stairs 
to  be  taken  care  of.  I watched  from  twelve  to  two, 
and  then  for  two  hours  poor  baby  seemed  in  such  pain 
nothing  would  pacify  him.  Mrs.  B — so  kind  in  helping 
me  to  do  so;  poor  William,  much  disturbed,  of  course; 
thank  God,  he  was  easy  when  he  woke  after  a short 
sleep,  about  daybreak.  M.  A.  very  restless  and  fretful. 
Dr.  P.  says  it  is  from  want  of  fresh  air.  Captain  H.  so 
good  in  nursing;  Mrs.  G — sent  both  my  women  to  help 
him,  as  I could  not  go.  Messenger  arrived  with  a letter 
for  Mr.  Gubbins,  which,  however,  was  taken  by  order 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


189 


at  once  to  Brigadier  Inglis,  saying  the  relieving  force 
was  at  Ounama,  first  march  from  Cawnpore,  which  was 
left  in  charge  of  a regiment  intrenched,  after  a complete 
victory.  They  had  force  for  any  opposition  they  might 
meet  in  coming  here,  and  hoped  to  arrive  in  four  or  five 
days.  May  God  prosper  them  ! The  man  who 
brought  the  letter  has  seen  the  General,  and  said  he  was 
little,  with  white  hair,  supposed  to  be  General  Havelock. 
Mr.  Gubbins  read  service  after  breakfast;  an  unusually 
quiet  day!  Mrs.  G.  rallying;  hopes  of  her  recovery. 
Mr.  L — killed  in  Cawnpore  battery  this  afternoon,  leav- 
ing a young  widow  and  child.  Mrs.  A — very  feverish 
and  heavy;  baby  a shade  better;  quite  tired  out;  obliged 
to  go  to  bed  early;  aroused  at  ten  p.  m.  by  sharp  firing; 
an  attack,  but  mercifully  unsuccessful,  and  over  in  half 

an  hour;  but  Mr. killed,  and  it  is  feared  by  our  own 

men  in  cross  fire.  Fires  in  several  rooms,  to  try  and 
purify  the  air.” 

Such  were  their  Sundays  of  rest  ! 

Here,  again,  are  the  records  of  two  successive  week 
days: 

“Tuesday. — About  twelve,  two  round  shot  struck  the 
house,  and,  from  fear  of  others,  the  ladies  and  children 
moved  to  the  dining-room.  Mr.  L — - firing  shrapnel  to 
try  and  silence  one  of  the  enemy’s  guns  which  they  have 
brought  to  bear  on  the  front  of  the  house.  A European 
shot  dead;  another  wounded.  Good,  kind  Major  Banks 
shot  dead  through  his  temples  ! I had  just  been  helping 
their  good  nurse  to  prepare  his  body  for  her  to  see  it, 
and  had  been  through  the  sad  scene  with  her.,  when 
soon  after  Mrs.  A.  told  me  that  my  own  W — (the 
writer’s  husband,) — was  wounded.  When  I got  to  him, 


190 


TUE  ORIENT 


he  was  lying  on  a couch,  ver}’  faint,  with  Dr.  Fra}'er 
examining  and  dressing  his  wound.  A rifle  ball  had 
passed  through  his  body.  God  bless  the  doctor  for  his 
kindness.  He  assured  me  it  was  not  dangerous.  We 
are  in  God’s  hands.  Lord,  I believe,  help  mv  unbelief! 
I am  thankful  I can  attend  to  him  myself  He  is  in  great 
pain.  From  my  heart  I grieve  for  poor  Mrs.  Banks  ! 
She  has  lost  the  one  that  was  everything  to  her — and 
their  darling  little  girl  ! More  barricades  just  outside. 
Some  of  the  mutineers  seem  moving  in  bodies  to  dav. 

‘•Wednesday. — A wakeful,  watching  night  ! Dear 
W — in  much  pain — better,  thank  God,  toward  morning. 
The  ladies  from  the  other  side  of  the  house  obliged  to 
remove  and  go  down  stairs.  We  were  busy  removing 
the  gentlemen’s  things,  Mrs.  Dorin  assisting,  when  at 
the  door  leading  from  her  room  to  the  dining-room,  a 
matchlock-ball  struck  her  on  the  face,  and  she  imme- 
diately expired,  while  I was  looking  at  her,  and  calling 
for  a doctor  1 It  was  very  awful.  I had  peculiar  cause 
to  think  her  kind  and  obliging,  for  she  did  much  for  me 
and  mine.  The  enemv  have  moved  to-da}’,  but  we 
know  not  where.”  Many  other  extracts  might  be  given, 
but  this  suflices  to  show  something  of  the  fearful  trials 
of  the  besieged.  The  writer  and  her  family  escaped. 

The  siege  went  on,  and  increased  in  fierceness.  Daily 
the  rebel  Sepoys  drew  the  circle  of  guns  still  closer 
around  the  Residency,  and  more  resolute  and  determined 
stood  the  twelve  or  fifteen  men  at  each  battery  within  its 
walls,  knowing  that  for  each  one  of  them,  thousands  of 
the  enemy  outside  were  planning  their  destruction,  and 
who,  if  once  able  to  make  a breach  in  their  little  force, 
could  never  be  turned  out. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


191 


Sir  Henry  Lawrence  became  convinced  that  he  could 
no  lontjer  hold  both  the  Muchee  Bhawun  and  the  Resi- 
dency.  By  telegraphic  signals  communications  were 
at  length  established  between  the  Residency  and  Muchee 
Bhawun.  To  the  commanding  officer  this  order  was 
transmitted,  “Blow  up  the  fort  and  come  to  the  Resi- 
dency at  twelve  o’clock  to-night.  Bring  your  treasure 
and  guns,  and  destroy  the  remainder.” 

The  movement  was  successfully  accomplished.  What 
a fearful  march  was  that  for  those  few  hundred  who  left 
the  fort.  A third  of  a mile  away  was  the  Residency. 
On  one  side  of  the  road,  and  but  a few  yards  from  it, 
were  encamped  the  batteries  and  troops  of  the  enemy; 
behind  them  the  fuses  were  already  burning  which  were 
connected  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  barrels  of  gun- 
powder and  millions  of  ball  cartridges  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  fort.  With  bated  breath,  muffled  footsteps, 
and  praying  hearts,  they  stole  through  the  darkness, 
and  no  word  was  spoken  until  they  stood  knocking  at 
the  Residency  gates. 

On  the  night  of  July  4th,  Sir  Henry  Lawrence  died 
from  a wound  received  from  a bursting  shell.  The 
Sepoys  having  learned  which  room  he  occupied,  began 
to  send  shells  into  it,  and  unfortunately,  with  the  deadly 
effect  they  desired,  for  no  heavier  loss  could  have  befallen 
the  besieged  than  the  death  of  their  leader.  Shortly 
before  his  death  he  said,  speaking  rather  to  himself  than 
to  those  about  him,  “Here  lies  Henry  Lawrence,  who 
tried  to  do  his  duty.  May  God  have  mercy  upon  him.” 
And  such  is  the  simple  inscription  upon  his  tomb. 

“Space  would  fail  to  give  a brief  outline  of  their  sor- 
rows during  the  next  three  months.  Reduced  to  starva- 


192 


THE  OEIE^T 


tion  allowances  of  the  coarsest  food,  many  of  them  clad 
in  rags,  and  all  crowded  into  the  narrowest  quarters,  so 
that  Mrs.  Harris’s  diary  speaks  of  the  ladies  lying  on 
the  floor,  ‘fitting  into  each  other  like  bits  in  a puzzle,  until 
the  whole  floor  was  full.’  Small-pox,  cholera,  boils, 
dysentery,  and  malarious  fever,  added  their  horrors  to 
the  situation,  while  the  iron  hail  of  death,  mingling  with 
the  drenching  rain  of  the  monsoon,  dropped  upon  them, 
so  that  by  the  first  of  August  the  deaths  sometimes 
rose  to  twenty  in  a single  day.” 

While  thus  death  daily  stole  the  little  strength  of  the 
garrison,  their  enemies  were  constantl}'  increasing  out- 
side. By  the  end  of  August,  there  must  have  been  as 
many  as  one  hundred  thousand  men  around  the  Resi- 
dency. Several  times  they  attempted  to  storm  it.  The 
overwhelmingf  numbers  and  fierce  determination  of  the 
Sepovs,  and  resolute  and  heroic  resistance  of  the  besieged, 
rendered  three  of  those  occasions  specially  memorable. 
“The  woimded,  knowing  the  danger,  and  how  their  com- 
rades were  pressed,  insisted  on  leaving  their  beds  in  the 
hospital,  and  being  helped  to  the  front.  The  poor  fellows 
came  staggering  along  to  the  scene  of  action,  trembling 
with  weakness,  and  pale  as  death.  Those  whose  limbs 
were  injured  laid  aside  their  crutches,  kneeled  down  and 
fired  as  fast  as  they  could  out  of  the  loop-holes,  while 
others,  who  could  not  do  this  much,  lay  on  their  backs 
on  the  ground,  and  loaded  for  those  who  were  firing.” 
The  five  hundred  women  and  children,  a terrified 
crowd,  were  forced  to  take  shelter  from  shot  and  shell 
in  the  cellars,  and  there  they  listened  to  the  fearful 
booming,  they  waited,  wept,  and  prayed.  Wept  and 
prayed  for  their  husbands  and  fathers,  their  brave  defend- 


AND  ITS  PEbPLE. 


193 


ers,  many  of  whom,  they  knew,  would  be  brought  to 
them  at  night,  ghastly,  gory  corpses. 

While  those  in  the  Residency  were  thus  nobly  defend- 
ing themselves.  General  Havelock  was  fighting  his  way 
through  the  enemy’s  country  to  their  relief.  Sheridan’s 
march  to  the  sea  was  a picnic  party  compared  with 
Havelock’s  three  months’  march  during  the  hot  and  rainy 
season,  opposed  by  thousands  of  the  enemy  swarming 
on  every  side,  with  a force  constantly  diminishing,  in 
battles,  by  sunstroke,  dysentery,  and  Asiatic  cholera. 
The  most  fearful  contest  was  reserved  for  the  end  of  the 
march.  On  the  24th  of  September  Havelock’s  troops 
were  within  two  miles  of  the  city.  All  day  they  fought. 
Night  found  them  within  twenty  minutes  walk  of  the 
Residency.  But  human  endurance  has  its  limit,  and  that 
night  they  tried  to  bring  together  their  wounded,  and 
rest  a little.  Those  of  their  wounded  whom  they  could 
not  reach,  the  Sepoys  collected  and  burned  to  death  in 
one  of  the  public  squares.  Early  the  next  day  they 
resumed  the  terrible  task.  For  twelve  hours  the  awful 
battle  raged.  Shortly  after  five  o’clock  Havelock’s 
troops  emerged  from  the  wild  carnage  to  where  they 
could  be  actually  seen  by  those  in  the  Residency,  “and 
then  the  garrison’s  long  pent  up  feeling  of  anxiety  and 
suspense,  burst  forth  in  a succession  of  deafening  cheers. 
From  every  pit,  trench,  and  battery — from  behind  the 
sand-bags  piled  on  shattered  houses — from  every  post 
still  held  by  a few  gallant  spirits — rose  cheer  on  cheer, 
even  from  the  hospital.  Many  of  the  wounded  crawled 
forth  to  join  in  the  glad  shout  of  welcome  to  those  who 
had  so  bravely  come  to  their  assistance.  It  was  a 
moment  never  to  be  forgotten.”  The  gates  were  opened, 


194 


ms  ORIENT 


and  the  Highlanders  poured  in,  “shaking#iands  frantically 
with  everybody,  and  those  great,  big,  rough,  bearded 
men,  black  with  powder  and  mud,  seized  the  little  chil- 
dren out  of  the  ladies’  arms,  and  were  kissing  them, 
and  passing  them  from  one  to  another,  with  tears  rolling 
down  their  cheeks,  thanking  God  that  they  had  come  in 
time  to  save  them  from  the  fate  of  those  at  Cawnpore. 

Of  the  2,242  persons  who  were  in  the  Residency  at 
the  end  of  June,  Havelock  found,  eighty-seven  days 
after,  scarce  nine  hundred  left.  Less  than  half  of  that 
number  were  able  fighting  men.  For  fifty-seven  days 
more,  they,  with  Havelock’s  troops,  resisted  the  siege, 
until  Sir  Colin  Campbell  came  with  a force  sufficient  to 
make  escape  possible.  It  was  only  by  the  most  terrible 
fighting  that  Sir  Colin  was  able  to  reach  them,  three 
days  after  arriving  at  the  city.  “How  fierce  that  fighting 
was  may  be  imagined  from  a single  item  in  the  com- 
mander-in-chief’s  dispatch,  wherein  he  says  that  within 
the  limits  of  a single  building,  the  Secunderbagh  and  its 
garden,  the  bodies  of  two  thousand  Sepoys  were 
counted.” 

This  second  relief  of  the  Residency  was  immediately 
followed  by  its  evacuation,  a movement  that  must  be 
accomplished  in  the  midst  of  fifty  thousand  enemies,  and 
yet  so  silently  that  they  should  not  suspect  it.  At  mid- 
night of  the  22d  of  November,  with  trembling,  thankful 
hearts,  they  crept  silently  forth,  along  a narrow,  tortuous 
lane,  protected  by  outposts,  who,  as  the  column  passed, 
were  withdrawn.  “The  pickets  fell  back  through  the 
supports ; the  supports  glided  away  through  the  intervals 
of  the  reserve;  the  reserve,  including  the  commander- 
in-chief,  silently  defiled  into  the  lane;  while  the  enemy, 


AJfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


195 


seeing  the  lights  and  fires  burning,  thought  the  Resi- 
dency still  occupied,  and  kept  up  on  the  south  and  west 
sides  their  desultory  night-firing.” 

When  the  grey  dawn  arose,  all  were  safe,  camped  in 
the  center  of  the  English  force,  three  miles  from  the 
Residency,  in  the  Dilkusha — Happy  Heart  Park.  Such 
happy  hearts  beat  there  that  day  as  he  who  named  the 
park  never  dreamed  of.  The  besieged,  released  from 
the  long  iron  hail  of  death,  the  four  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  women  and  children  brought  out  from  dark  and 
damp  cellars  into  the  bright  sunshine  and  green  fields  of 
India’s  gladdest  month,  the  sick  and  wounded  receiving 
such  food  and  medicine  as  they  required,  and  they  of  the 
relief,  proud  of  their  share  in  its  accomplishment.  But 
with  their  tears  of  joy,  were  tears  of  sorrow  for  the  noble 
defenders  and  brave  deliverers  who  had  fallen  in  the 
fierce  fight,  and  for  those  who  shortly  must  die  from 
the  hardships  and  labors  they  had  endured.  The  next 
day,  Havelock,  the  Christian  soldier,  brave  and  beloved, 
fell,  vanquished  only  by  a disease,  the  result  of  care, 
exposure,  and  “bread  want,”  against  which  bravery  and 
strong  will  were  powerless.  The  women  and  children,  a 
few  days  later,  were  conveyed  to  a place  of  greater 
safety,  and  the  English  army  passed  through  many 
more  fierce  contests  with  the  rebel  before  peace  and 
tranquility  was  restored  to  India. 


196 


THE  ORIENT 


CHRISTIANITY  IN  INDIA. 

Tradition  says  that  the  first  Christian  missionary  to 
India  was  St.  Thomas.  The  Portuguese  missionaries, 
receiving  the  legend  from  the  natives,  wrote  a very 
exciting  account  of  the  miracles  that  he  wrought,  how  he 
converted  Magi,  how  he  built  a temple,  brought  the 
dead  to  life,  gave  wonderful  prophecies,  and  finally 
became  a martyr  for  the  faith.  Marco  Polo,  who  visited 
India  before  the  time  of  the  Portuguese,  relates  that  St. 
Thomas  was  accidentally  killed  when  at  prayer  in  a 
wood,  by  a low  caste  man,  who  was  shooting  peacocks, 
and  that  thenceforth  none  of  the  poor  man’s  tribe  could 
ever  enter  the  place  where  the  saint  lay  buried.  St. 
Thomas’  Mount,  near  Madras,  has  for  centuries  been 
held  by  the  Syrian  and  Romish  churches  as  the  burial 
place  of  the  apostle.  Alfred  the  Great,  in  the  ninth 
century,  sent  an  embassy  from  England,  to  visit  the 
shrine  of  the  Saint  at  Madras.  Close  investigation,  how- 
ever, leaves  little  ground  for  belief  in  this  legend  of  St. 
Thomas. 

Sometime  towards  the  close  of  the  second  century, 
the  Word  was  preached  on  the  southern  coast  of  India, 
but  by  whom  is  not  now  known.  Eg}’ptian  mariners 
brought  home  tidings  of  those  Christians  to  Alexandria, 
which  stirred  the  heart  of  Pantsenus,  a Professor  in  one 
of  Alexandria’s  most  famous  schools,  to  go  forth  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  of  India.  Of  what  he 
accomplished,  but  little  is  known. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


197 


The  records  of  the  Christian  Church  in  India,  for  the 
first  thousand  years,  are  few  and  uncertain,  but  stiU  the 
Church  gained  many  converts  and  considerable  power. 
The  Christians  of  Egypt,  and  the  Nestorians  of  Persia, 
had  not  labored  in  vain.  About  the  year  looo  the 
Christian  people  in  Southern  India  had  become  so  many 
and  so  powerful  that  they  set  up  a sovereignty  of  their 
own.  For  some  time  they  prospered,  under  Christian 
Rajahs,  until  one  of  them,  happening  to  be  childless, 
adopted  a heathen  successor.  About  this  time  the 
Muhammedan  power  over-ran  India,  and  the  Christians 
received  a severe  check. 

The  landing  of  Vasco  de  Gama  upon  the  shores  of 
India,  in  the  year  1497,  was  the  beginning  of  a new  era 
in  the  history  of  Christian  missions  in  India.  Suftering 
under  the  Muhammedan  yoke,  knowing  nothing  of 
Papal  power,  the  Syrian  Christians  were  easily  led  to 
seek  the  protection  of  Vasco  de  Gama,  and  acknowledge 
his  authority.  Upon  his  second  visit  to  India,  a deputa- 
tion of  Christians  ascended  the  sides  of  his  ship  to  pre- 
sent to  him  the  scepter  of  the  last  of  their  Christian 
kings.  Missionaries  were  soon  sent  out  by  the  Romish 
Church,  but  as  a Portuguese  historian  frankly  states, 
the  unholy  lives  of  the  Portuguese  was  one  of  the  main 
obstacles  to  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  In  1541 
Francis  Xavier,  as  earnest  and  self-denying  amissionary 
as  ever  set  foot  on  any  heathen  soil,  appeared  in  India. 
That  he  was  the  subject  of  strong  delusions,  that  he 
demanded  too  little  of  his  converts,  that  he  accepted  wil- 
lingness to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  receive  bap- 
tism, instead  of  the  evidence  of  a pure  life,  as  sufficient 
to  entitle  his  followers  to  the  name  of  Christian,  is  not  to 


198 


THE  OBIEET 


be  denied;  but  that  he  was  earnest  and  ambitious  for  the 
spread  of  Christ’s  kingdom,  is  most  true.  He  counted 
his  converts  b}'  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  “baptized 
ten  thousand  heathen  in  a single  month;  carr^-ing  on  the 
holy  work  till  he  could  no  longer  articulate  the  words  of 
the  formula,  or  raise  his  hand  to  perform  the  office.” 
Xavier  sought  the  conversion  of  men’s  souls  not  simply 
for  church  supremacy,  and  the  Christians  of  St.  Thomas 
held  their  own  peacefully.  His  successors,  being  men 
of  inferior  ability,  strove  to  make  these  S}'rian  Christians 
bow  allegiance  to  the  Pope,  and  when  they  refused, 
declared  them  heretics,  and  began  severe  persecutions. 
Under  the  influence  of  unworthy  leaders,  persecutions, 
bribes,  and  threatenings,  the  Syrian  churches,  at  last, 
sullenly  submitted.  Sixty  years  after,  upon  the  over- 
throw of  the  Portuguese  power,  the  Syrian  churches 
again  asserted  their  independence,  and  have  since 
remained  a separate  bod}',  though  weak,  and  greatly 
influenced  by  idolatry  and  heathenism. 

The  Jesuits  did  not  esteem  any  dissimulation,  any 
imposture,  any  stratagem,  as  unlawful  or  unholy,  by 
which  they  might  induce  the  heathen  to  call  themselves 
Christians,  and  submit  to  the  rite  of  baptism.  The  Jes- 
uits called  themselves  Western  Brahmins,  and  dressed  as 
such,  and,  following  closely  the  customs  of  the  natives, 
they  led  many  people  to  believe  in  them.  Except  that 
the  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  substituted  in  the 
place  of  idols,  scarce  any  difference  between  heathen 
and  Christians  could  be  seen.  The  new  Brahmins  were 
detected  at  last.  They  were  found  to  be  only  Feringhfs 
in  disguise;  and  the  natives  rejected  their  ministrations 
with  anger  and  contempt.  They  were  driven  from  India 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


199 


for  awhile,  but  are  again  working  in  strong  force,  and 
with  considerable  success. 

In  1599  the  East  India  Company  was  organized  in 
London,  for  purposes  of  trade  with  the  East.  This  com- 
pany did  much  directly  to  throw  odium  upon,  and  pre- 
vent the  introduction  of  Christianity  in  India;  yet  indi- 
rectly, in  the  hands  of  God,  it  was  the  means  of  opening 
that  land  to  civilization  and  Christianity.  Some  good 
men  went  out  among  the  early  agents  of  the  company, 
but  the  majority  were  unprincipled  adventurers,  the 
“black  sheep”  of  good  families.  The  profligate  lives  of 
such  men  gave  the  natives  a fearful  opinion  of  the 
Christian  religion.  One  of  the  first  English  clergymen 
who  went  to  India  wrote  that  he  frequently  heard  the 
natives  say,  in  broken  English,  “Christian  religion, 
devil  religion;  Christian  much  drunk;  Christian  much 
do  wrong;  much  beat,  much  abuse  others.” 

That  the  early  English  adventurers  were  not  alto- 
gether without  religious  sense,  the  following  extract 
from  the  old  records  of  the  East  India  Company  will 
show.  The  request  came  from  some  settlers  on  the 
western  coast  of  India.  *****  “We  likewise 
petition  your  honors  for  twm  good  orthodox  ministers ; 
we  having  not  one  on  this  side  of  India,  as  formerly 
advised  to  your  honors.  We  likewise  beg  you  will 
yearly  supply  us  with  good  paper  and  quills.  * * * 

If  you  do  please  to  send  us  a little  good  English  beer,  as 
they  call  stout,  it  wiU  be  very  welcome ; and  a little  wine 
from  your  honors,  as  you  were  pleased  to  favor  us  with 
formerly,  would  not  be  amiss.” 

The  wine  and  stout  probably  reached  them,  at  least 
reports  of  great  drunkenness  would  indicate  as  much, 


200 


TEE  ORIENT 


and  perhaps  the  ministers.  The  records  show  that  nine- 
teen men  were  sent  as  chaplains  to  the  three  Presiden- 
cies during  a hundred  years.  Tt  was  eighty  years  alter 
the  English  entered  India,  before  the  first  Protestant 
church  was  erected.  Two  successive  Presidents  in 
Bombay  made  great  efibrts  to  get  a church  built  in  that 
place,  but  Bombay  had  to  wait  many  years  after  the  first 
church  was  erected  in  Madras  by  an  Englishman  of  the 
name  of  Streynsham  Master.  He  built  this  first  house 
for  Protestant  worship  in  India,  at  his  own  charge,  super- 
intending the  work  himself  His  memory  deserves  a 
tribute. 

Upon  the  renewal  of  the  company's  charter  in  1698, 
it  was  stipulated  that  a clergyman  should  be  stationed 
at  each  principal  point,  who  was  required  to  learn  within 
a year  the  Portuguese  language,  and  also  to  study  the 
native  tongue,  in  order  to  be  able  to  teach  the  native  ser- 
vants ol  the  company,  something  of  Christianity.  That 
they  accomplished  much  does  not  appear.  In  1709 
England  made  the  first  pecuniary  contribution  for 
missions  in  India.  The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  sent  out  a case  of  books,  some  encouraging 
letters,  and  £20.  This  contribution  was  sent  to  a Danish 
Mission,  established  at  a Danish  trading  post,  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  Southern  Peninsula  of  India. 
Ziegenbalg  and  Plutscho  were  its  agents,  the  first  Prot- 
estant missionaries  to  India.  These  men  were  full  of 
holy  zeal,  practical  good  sense,  and  energy.  When  they 
entered  India,  in  1705,  they  immediately  began  the  study 
of  the  language,  without  aid  of  dictionary,  grammar,  or 
easy  lessons.  The  hterature  of  the  people  was  found 
scratched  on  palm}Ta  leaves.  These  earnest  men, 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


201 


graduates  of  the  University  of  Halle,  put  themselves 
to  school  along  with  little  children,  under  a native 
school  master.  By  their  industry,  their  pure  and 
blameless  lives,  they  won  the  admiration  and  confidence 
of  the  natives.  In  1 707  their  first  converts  were  baptized. 
In  1711  Ziegenbalg  had  translated  the  New  Testament 
into  Tamil;  the  first  translation  of  the  Scriptures,  that 
was  given  to  the  people  in  their  vernacular.  They  also 
introduced  the  art  of  printing  into  India,  importing  from 
Denmark,  type  and  presses,  and  because  paper  was 
unknown,  manufacturing  it  themselves.  Ziegenbalg  also 
compiled  a dictionary,  and  prepared  a grammar  of  the 
Tamil  language.  For  over  a hundred  years,  earnest  and 
noble  men  of  like  stamp  labored  in  the  Danish  Missions. 
Christian  Frederick  Schwartz  for  fifty  years  honored  his 
Master  before  the  heathen  and  among  his  dissolute  coun- 
trymen. In  1758  John  Kiernander  founded  the  first 
Protestant  mission  in  Calcutta,  whither  he  went  upon 
the  invitation  of  Lord  Clive.  For  more  than  thirty 
years,  he  sustained  the  mission  at  his  own  expense, 
amid  the  scoftings,  and  against  the  demoralizing  influ- 
ences of  Christian  (?)  Englishmen.  Many  other  worthy 
names  might  be  given  did  space  permit.  They 
made  thousands  of  converts,  but  never  emiflated  their 
Romish  brethren,  for  they  insisted  on  a radical  change 
of  life.  These  missions  have  mainly  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  English  and  German  societies. 

A few  good  men  in  India,  and  some  earnest  men  in 
England,  were  becoming  more  and  more  interested  in 
giving  Christianity  to  India.  An  Indian  chaplaincy 
seemed  the  nearest  road  to  a missionary  life,  and  many 
sought  and  obtained  such  appointments.  Among  these 


202 


THE  ORIENT 


were  such  worthy  names  as  David  Brown,  Henry  Mar- 
tyn,  Daniel  Corrie,  Claudius  Buchanan,  and  Thomason, 
all  men  of  earnest  work  and  deep  piety.  They  sought 
neither  fame,  nor  greatness,  nor  romance,  yet,  almost 
unconsciously  to  themselves,  their  self-sacrificing  labors 
brought  to  each  of  them,  strange  vicissitudes,  the  honor 
and  respect  of  their  fellow  men,  and  an  enduring  and 
blessed  memory.  David  Brown,  who  went  to  Calcutta 
in  1785,  when  English  society  was  at  its  worst,  for  a 
quarter  of  a century  never  missing  but  one  Sunday  from 
his  post,  upheld  the  banner  of  the  Cross,  and  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  a marked  change  in  the  lives  of  his 
countrymen.  Not  content  with  the  accomplishment  of 
even  so  great  a work,  he  sought  the  establishment  of  a 
Church  Missionary  Society  in  England.  Through  his 
ardent  and  continued  appeals,  an  interest  in  missions  was 
aroused  in  England,  that  shall  bear  fruit  for  ages  to  come. 
It  was  in  answer  to  his  call,  that  Martyn  and  his  coadju- 
tors sailed  for  India.  Martyn,  with  holy  devotion  and 
apostolic  zeal,  undaunted  by  dangers,  strange  languages, 
unknown  and  savage  peoples,  suftering  from  feeble 
health,  traveled  from  one  end  of  India  to  the  other, 
preaching  Christ  to  multitudes  of  wondering  heathen, 
thence  to  Persia,  where  he  translated  the  Bible  into 
Persian,  and  at  last,  with  no  Christian  hand  near  to  com- 
fort or  aid,  fell  a victim  to  the  plague.  Buchanan,  after 
years  of  toil  in  India,  was  obliged  by  failing  health  to 
return  to  England,  where  took  a most  prominent  and 
able  part  in  the  great  discussion  which  resulted  in  the 
estabhshment,  by  the  English  government,  of  a Protestant 
See  in  India;  and  also  in  the  concession  of  greater  liberty 
to  Christian  missions.  Thomason  and  Corrie,  with  the 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


203 


love  and  devotion  of  the  Aposde  John,  labored  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  heathen,  not  only  by  preaching  to 
them,  but  by  helping  to  arouse  the  interest  of  Christians 
in  the  mission  cause.  Corrie  was  afterward  raised  to 
the  Indian  bishopric. 

But  other  hearts  were  burdened  for  the  salvation  of 
India,  other  men,  who,  being  Dissenters,  could  not  avail 
themselves  of  the  protection  and  salaries  of  the  company, 
were  already  toiling  in  preaching,  in  schools,  and  trans- 
lations. 

In  1793  Andrew  Fuller,  a Baptist,  went  from  house  to 
house  in  London,  until,  weary  and  almost  disheartened, 
striving  to  collect  a small  sum  to  be  expended  in  sending 
two  missionaries  to  India.  He  with  a few  others  had 
already  quietly  inaugurated  a Baptist  Missionary  Society, 
and  two  men,  Mr.  Thomas  and  William  Carey,  were 
under  appointment  as  their  missionaries. 

Mr.  Thomas  could  speak  of  the  needs  of  the  heathen 
from  his  own  observation,  and  with  his  ardent  missionary 
zeal  was  calculated  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  those  at 
all  interested  in  sending  the  Gospel  to  India.  He  had 
the  honor  of  being  the  first  English  missionary  to  India, 
having  already  spent  several  years  in  that  land ; but, 
unhappily,  his  indiscretion  unfitted  him  for  the  work. 
Mr.  Charles  Grant,  an  English  gentleman  of  noble  char- 
acter, had  spent  several  years  in  India,  in  the  service  of 
the  East  India  Company,  and  while  there,  had  become 
deeply  interested  in  the  evangelization  of  its  people.  He 
with  David  Brown,  vainly  sought  aid  from  England  to 
establish  a mission.  Out  of  the  correspondence,  however, 
ultimately  sprang  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
Failing  to  obtain  funds  from  England,  Mr.  Grant  under- 


204 


THE  ORIENT 


took  the  support  of  a mission  at  his  own  expense,  with 
Mr.  Thomas  at  its  head.  Mr.  Thomas,  though  full  of 
zeal,  lacked  in  wisdom  and  discretion,  and  failed  as  a 
missionary;  he  went  into  speculation,  in  that  failed  also, 
and  became  deeply  involved  in  debt.  Mr.  Grant,  upon 
his  return  to  England,  after  spending  large  sums  of 
money,  was  obliged  to  close  the  mission. 

William  Carey,  son  of  a poor  village  schoolmaster, 
and  a cobbler  by  trade,  being  of  earnest  and  devout  mind, 
desired  to  enter  the  ministry,  but  “the  Church  of  England 
had  no  place  for  such  men  as  William  Carey,  except  as 
diggers  of  graves,  or  openers  of  pews,  or  utterers  of 
‘Amen!’  hence  his  eager  desire  for  the  ministry  drove  him 
into  the  ranks  of  dissent.”  He  was  baptized  and  placed 
ever  a small  congregation,  but  the  people  were  poor,  and 
could  not  support  him.  He  still  continued  at  his  trade,  but 
his  heart  was  in  preaching,  so  the  shoe  business  did  not 
thrive.  While  in  this  state  of  trial,  his  mind  conceived 
the  grand  idea  of  canying  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen 
nations  of  the  earth.  So  absurd  and  chimerical  a plan 
met  onh’  frowns,  and  sneers,  and  contempt,  these  too 
from  good  men.  “When  he  llrst  proposed  at  a ministers’ 
meeting  of  which  he  was  a member,  as  a topic  of  discus- 
sion, the  duty  of  Christians  to  attempt  < he  spread  of  the 
gospel  among  heathen  nations,”  the  venerable  Dr.  Ry- 
land,  presiding  officer  of  the  meeting,  received  the  propo- 
sition with  astonishment  and  indignation.  “Young  man, 
sit  down,”  said  he,  “When  God  pleases  to  convert  the 
heathen,  he  will  do  it  without  your  aid  or  mine.”  But 
Carey  held  on  to  his  plan,  urged  it  upon  the  attention  of 
his  fellow-ministers,  and  at  last  gained  for  his  idea  prac- 
tical recognition.  The  Baptist  Missionary  Society  was 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


205 


organized.  Andrew  Fuller  begged  a little  money,  and 
Carey  and  Thomas  sought  a passage  to  India.  But 
“India  was  a close  preserve  in  the  hands  of  the  East 
India  Company,  and  to  go  there  without  a license  from 
the  Company  was  to  become  a poacher,  and  to  incur  the 
risk  of  being  ignominiously  sent  home  again.”  The 
Company  were  decidedly  not  in  favor  of  missions.  They 
feared  lest  any  interference  with  the  religion  of  the  people 
of  India,  should  cause  them  to  rise,  and  drive  the  English 
from  the  country.  Carey  and  Thomas  sought  the  aid 
of  men  of  influence,  and  through  them  the  assistance  of 
Mr.  Charles  Grant,  who  was  then  in  England,  in  obtain- 
ing a license.  Mr.  Grant,  being  an  influential  member 
of  the  Company,  and  heartily  in  favor  of  missions,  could 
have  procured  the  license  for  them,  but  he  knew  nothing 
of  Carey,  except  that  he  was  in  the  company  of  Thomas, 
of  whom  he  knew  far  too  much.  Mr.  Grant  felt  that  he 
must  refuse  aid  to  anything  in  which  Mr.  Thomas  was 
concerned;  hence  the  missionaries  were  obliged  to  seek 
a passage  to  India  without  a license.  Carey  and  Thomas 
started  alone,  but  as  they  could  show  no  passports,  were 
obliged  to  return  from  the  British  Channel.  Later,  a 
passage  was  obtained  in  a Danish  vessel.  Mrs.  Carey, 
who,  unhappily  for  herself  and  family,  could  not  under- 
stand her  husband’s  missionary  enterprise,  had  refused 
to  go  with  him  when  he  first  started,  but  was  induced, 
with  her  sister  and  four  or  five  children,  to  take  passage 
in  the  Danish  ship. 

Carey,  with  his  wife  and  family,  who  had  no  sympathy 
with  his  work,  and  with  the  enthusiast  and  debtor, 
Thomas,  was  heavily  weighted.  Weaker  men  would 
have  succumbed  and  failed.  Refused  recognition  and 


206 


THE  ORIENT 


aid  in  India,  on  account  of  his  connection  with  Mr. 
Thomas,  for  five  weary  years  he  supported  himself 
and  farn/ly  as  best  he  could,  in  an  indigo  factory,  but 
keeping  ever  before  his  mind  liis  great  object,  studpng 
the  language,  preaching  some,  caring  for  a little  school 
for  heathen  children,  and  working  trt  a translation  of  the 
New  Testament  into  Bengalee. 

In  1797  hope  again  sprang  up  in  the  heart  of  Carey. 
He  heard  of  the  arrival  of  an  American  ship,  bringing 
four  men  who  were  to  be  his  colleagues  in  his  great  work. 

The  Governor  General  of  India,  Sir  John  Shore,  after- 
wards Lord  Teignmouth,  and  subsequently  founder  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  a sincere  Chris- 
tian, and  a cautious,  but  firm  friend  of  missions,  who 
permitted  Carey  to  land  without  question,  had  just  retired 
from  office  to  England.  The  new  administration  was 
more  in  accordance  with  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  time. 
F our  Dissenting  missionaries,  with  the  Bible  and  without 
licenses,  come  to  preach  against  the  corruptions  of 
heathenism,  could  not  be  permitted  to  land  under  the 
British  flag.  Acting  upon  advice  received  from  Mr. 
Charles  Grant  before  leaving  England,  they  at  once  went 
to  Serampore,  sixteen  miles  above  Calcutta.  Serampore 
was  then  a Danish  settlement,  subject  to  the  King  of 
Denmark.  The  Governor  received  the  missionaries  cor- 
dially, and  they  finally  made  the  place  their  home.  It 
was  not  until  1800  that  Carey  was  able  to  remove  from 
his  factory,  and  join  the  missionaries  at  Serampore.  One 
of  the  company  was  already  dead,  another  died  the  next 
year,  but  Marshman  and  Ward  had  a great  and  long 
work  yet  before  them.  Many  volumes  have  been  written 
to  show  what  these  three  men  accomplished,  but  who 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


207 


can  do  them  justice  ? With  what  sublime  fortitude  they 
prosecuted  their  work,  amid  the  greater  trials  and  dis- 
couragements, and  the  thousand  lesser,  but  no  less  wear- 
ing trials,  found  only  under  an  Indian  sun,  and  among  a 
heathen  people;  three  families  living  together  in  one 
house,  bearing  and  forbearing  with  one  another,  that 
they  might  save  money  to  print  the  translated  Scriptures; 
with  Mrs.  Carey  gone  insane,  and  Mr.  Thomas  stiU 
clinging  to  them,  engaged  in  strange  speculations,  he  too 
becoming  insane  with  joy  over  their  first  convert;  stand- 
ing fast  by,  and  upholding  each  other,  though  they 
could  not  always  agree,  for  they  were  but  human. 
Surely,  they  must  have  let  patience  have  its  perfect 
work. 

These  men,  by  their  scholarship  and  industry,  over- 
came the  prejudice  of  the  English,  and  so  won  their 
admiration,  that  the  Governor  General,  Lord  Wellesley, 
was  glad  to  avail  himself  of  their  assistance  in  an  educa- 
tional scheme  of  his  own.  For  this  they  received  £600 
a year;  all  of  which,  with  the  £1,000  a year  which  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Marshman  were  receiving  from  their  boarding 
school,  was  put  into  the  common  mission  fund,  save  £20, 
which  was  reserved  for  Mr.  Carey,  to  enable  him  to 
appear  “in  decent  apparel,”  at  the  Government  House, 
where  he  was  sometimes  expected  to  attend.  The 
number  of  their  converts  was  not  so  very  great.  Their 
principal  aim  was  to  translate  the  Scriptures  into  as  many 
languages  as  possible,  and  to  train  up  young  men  for  the 
native  ministry.  They  felt  that  by  so  doing  their  influ- 
ence would  be  much  longer,  more  widely  and  effectively 
felt.  They  translated  the  entire  Bible  into  seven  different 
languages,  the  New  Testament  into  twenty-three  more, 


208 


THE  ORIENT 


and  portions  of  the  Scripture  into  ten  other  languages, 
making  forty  in  all.  They  also  added  greatly  to  the 
literature  of  India  in  the  publication  of  dictionaries, 
grammars,  school  books,  tracts,  histories,  etc.  In  i8i8 
Dr.  Marshman’s  son,  with  the  advice  and  assistance  of 
his  father  and  Dr.  Ward— Dr.  Carey  was  at  first  opposed 
to  the  project — published  the  first  native  newspaper,  the 
Sumachar  Dur^im^  or  “Mirror  of  News.”  It  not  only 
received  the  support  of  the  natives,  but  signal  encourage- 
ment and  support  from  high  English  officials.  Two 
weeks  later,  a native  started  a paper  called  “The 
Destroyer  of  Darkness,”  and  later  still  another  paper 
appeared,  published  by  a Brahmin  of  the  Brahmins, 
called  ‘The  Moon  of  Intelligence.”  At  present,  there 
are  more  than  four  hundred  native  newspapers,  the 
majority  of  which  are  published  by  a lithographing  pro- 
cess, that  being  cheaper  for  small  newspapers  than  type 
and  presses. 

These  missionaries  were  also  instrumental  in  the  abo- 
lition of  the  horrid  custom  of  throwing  living  children 
into  the  Ganges,  and  also  in  the  abolition  of  Suttee,  or 
widow  burning. 

But  still  other  hearts  were  praying  and  laboring  for 
India.  In  America,  a little  flame  of  missionary  zeal  had 
been  kindled,  and  six  earnest  young  men  were  asking  for 
ways  and  means  to  carry  them  to  the  far  East,  where 
they  might  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ’s  kingdom.  The 
story  of  their  holy  ambition  and  devotion  has  been  many 
times  told.  In  1812  Messrs.  Newell,  Judson,  Hall,  Nott, 
and  Rice,  with  their  wives,  sailed  for  India.  They  pro- 
posed to  enter  at  Calcutta.  The  Serampore  missionaries 
and  the  English  chaplains  were  already  spreading  gospel 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


209 


light  in  those  parts,  and  God  would  have  that  light  shed 
in  still  darker  places.  They  landed  at  Calcutta,  and 
were  warmly  greeted  by  the  chaplains  and  missionaries, 
but  they  were  without  licenses,  and  were  missionaries. 
As  such  the  East  India  Company  would  not  allow  them 
to  remain.  At  this  time  the  discussion  both  in  India  and 
England  was  at  its  height,  as  to  the  advisability  of  intro- 
ducing, or  allowing  Christianity  to  be  introduced,  to  the 
natives  of  India.  The  English  government  in  India  was 
on  the  conservative  side,  hence  the  missionaries  were 
ordered  to  return  home  by  the  ship  which  brought  them. 
Afterwards  they  were  permitted  to  go  anywhere  not 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  government.  Newell  and 
his  wife  with  great  difficulty  made  their  way  to  the  Isle 
of  France.  There  Mrs.  Newell  soon  died  of  quick  con- 
sumption, but  thanking  God  for  the  privilege  of  laying 
down  her  life  in  the  cause  of  missions.  The  name  of 
Harriet  Newell  for  more  than  half  a century  has  been  a 
star  in  the  East,  guiding  many  worthy  and  noble  men 
and  women  to  the  accomplishment  of  a far  greater  work 
than  she  alone  could  have  done.  Rice,Judson,  and  his 
wife,  landed  in  Burmah,  carrying  to  the  Burmese  the  first 
tidings  of  a free  salvation;  now  a hundred  thousand 
Christians  call  Judson  their  spiritual  father.  Messrs. 
Hall  and  Nott  sailed  for  Bombay,  where  they  were  met 
by  an  order  commanding  their  immediate  departure. 
Upon  one  pretext  and  another,  they  were  allowed  to 
remain  until  the  following  year,  when  the  granting  of  a 
new  charter  to  the  East  India  Company  took  place,  in 
which  the  establishment  of  an  Indian  bishopric  and  the 
concession  of  greater  liberty  to  Christian  missions,  was 
required.  News  of  this  decision  of  a question  which 


210 


THE  ORIENT 


had  been  the  occasion  of  one  of  the  greatest  discussions 
in  the  English  Parliament  during  the  present  century, 
having  reached  India,  Messrs.  HaU  and  Nott  were 
quietly  allowed  to  remain,  and  prosecute  their  missionary 
labors.  From  that  day  forward,  protection  has  ever 
been  granted  to  missionaries  of  whatever  country  or 
denomination. 

To  sketch  the  rise  and  progress  of  all  the  missions  to 
India  would  far  exceed  the  limits  of  this  article.  “A 
late  official  report  to  the  British  Parliament  states  that 
35  Protestant  missionary  societies  now  maintain  606 
missionaries  in  India,  including  551  ordained  ministers. 
These  occupy  522  principal,  and  2,500  subordinate  sta- 
tions. Besides  these,  there  are  381  ordained  native  min- 
isters, 78,494  communicants,  and  a Christian  population  of 
318,363.  The  native  contributions  to  Christianity  in 
1872  amounted  to  about  $80,000,  or  over  one  dollar  per 
capita  of  the  communicants — a liberality  transcending 
the  average  of  Christian  churches  in  England  and 
America. 

The  printing  establishments  number  twenty-five.  In 
ten  years,  ending  with  1872,  they  issued  3,410  new 
works,  in  thirty  difierent  languages,  and  circulated 
1,315,503  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  in  whole  or  in  part; 
2,375,040  school  books,  and  8,750,129  Christian  books 
and  tracts.  There  are  four  great  universities,  twenty- 
five  colleges,  and  thousands  of  schools,  all  imparting  the 
science  of  Europe  and  America.  More  than  200,000 
pupils  are  studying  the  English  language.  “There 
ai*e  also  eighty-five  training  schools  lor  native  mission- 
aries and  teachers,  enrolling  1,618  students,  and  twenty- 
eight  female  institutions  of  high  grade  with  567  students.” 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


211 


With  a population  which  has  increased  at  least  fifty 
millions  within  a few  years,  from  1856  to  1873,  Hinduism 
increased  but  thirty-seven  per  cent.,  and  Muhammedan- 
ism  thirty-three,  while  Christianity  from  1861  to  1871 
increased  sixty-one  per  cent.  The  Rev.  Narayan 
Sheshadri  has  shown  that  at  the  same  rate  of  increase, 
in  less  than  two  hundred  years  there  will  be  in  India 
alone  150,00x3,000  Christians.  That  is  human  arithmetic, 
but  who  shall  say  what  God’s  ratios  may  be  ? The 
number  of  Christians  in  India  is  about  900,000.  Of 
thc'se,  some  250,000  are  of  European  descent,  330,000 
are  native  Protestant  Christians,  and  the  remainder  are 
Roman  Catholic.  Some  10,000  native  Protestant  Chris- 
tians were  added  in  1874. 

These  are  the  figures,  but  the  mind  often  more  readily 
comprehends  a great  object  by  viewing  and  comparing 
its  small  points,  than  by  attempting  to  grasp  the  whole.  In 
noting  the  decay  of  idolatry,  the  fruit  of  the  Gospel  as 
evinced  in  the  lives  of  individuals,  and  the  vast  improve- 
ment in  tribes  and  communities,  it  may  the  more  dis- 
tinctly appear  how  the  Divine  leaven  is  afiecting  the 
whole  mass.  The  decay  of  Hinduism  is  a great  and 
undeniable  fact.  That  many  of  the  temples  are  stiU  sup- 
ported in  great  style,  and  at  great  expense,  is  true;  but 
the  larger  and  more  noted  temples  are  nearly  all  heavily 
endowed,  kept  up  by  their  own  revenues,  and  the  wor- 
ship maintained  is  necessary  to  the  incumbency  of  the 
estates.  Such  temples  and  shrines  do  not  suffer  from  the 
defections  of  their  adherents,  and,  as  yet,  comparatively 
few  do ; still — as  in  the  case  of  an  idol  temple  and  grove 
in  Ceylon,  which  was  bought  by  a missionary,  who,  to 
the  surprise  of  the  horrified  natives,  walked  away  alive 


212 


THE  ORIENT 


with  the  god  in  his  coat  pocket,  and  who  afterwards 
erected  a school  house  upon  the  sacred  spot;  also  when 
we  hear  that  one  of  the  most  popular  shrines  of  the 
devil  worshipping  Shanars  is  now  overgrown  with 
thorns,  the  habitation  of  bats  and  reptiles,  notwithstand- 
ing two  attempts  to  repair  it — we  see  the  mark  of  the 
entering  wedge  which  is  destined  to  split  to  pieces,  this 
mighty  fabric  of  superstition  and  lies. 

The  impression  and  the  influence  of  Christianity  has 
gone  far  deeper  into  the  hearts  of  educated  Hindus 
than  any  deserted  temples  or  pages  of  statistics  can 
show.  The  author  of  a census  report  for  a part  of  India 
says:  “The  influence  of  closer  contact  with  European 
civilization  and  learning  has,  however,  been  perceptible 
in  a modification  of  Hindu  religion.  Many  natives  have 
entirely  rejected  idol  worship,  and  the  monstrous  teach- 
ings of  the  Purans  andTantras,  and  address  their  suppli- 
cations to  the  one  Supreme  Being.  The  magnificent 
temples  erected  in  past  ages  in  honor  of  Shiv  and  Vishnu, 
or  their  human  personifications,  are  slowly  succumbing 
to  the  destroying  hand  of  time.  New  temples,  on  a scale 
of  grandeur  equal  to  those  of  former  eras,  are  unknown. 
The  general  decay  of  Hindu  temples  throughout  the 
country  is  but  the  visible  sign  of  the  waning  vitality  of 
the  religion  itself  Among  the  classes  already  influenced 
by  western  ideas,  Hinduism  is  practically  dead.” 

He  also  states  that  pilgrimages  are  fast  losing  popular- 
ity, that  only  tens  now  undertake  long  pilgrimages, 
where  formerly  hundreds  visited  the  sacred  shrines.  It 
is  only  a short  time  since  the  car  of  Juggernath  was  left 
standing  in  the  mud  because  sufficient  people  did  not 
care  to  exert  themselves  to  extricate  it.  The  religious 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


213 


fairs  are  mainly  upheld  by  the  women  and  trades-people. 
The  women  greatly  fear  the  visitation  of  some  dire 
calamity  if  these  shrines  are  not  duly  visited,  besides,  to 
thousands  of  women,  who  are  permitted  to  attend,  the 
fair  is  the  only  break  dunng  the  year  to  the  dull  routine 
of  their  lives.  It  is  the  women,  too,  who  prevent  thous- 
sands  of  Hindus,  who  would  be  glad  to  see  Christianity 
the  religion  of  the  country,  from  openly  proclaiming 
themselves  Christ’s  disciples.  A missionary,  writing  on 
this  point,  says: 

“Just  now  a Brahmin  pundit,  or  teacher,  called  to  see 
me.  When  I introduced  the  subject  of  Christianity,  he 
frankly  said,  ‘I  do  not  depend  on  Hindu  gods  for  salva- 
tion ; I believe  in  Christ,  and  expect  to  be  saved  through 
Him.’  Thousands  who,  because  of  social  and  family 
bonds,  do  not  openly  confess  Christ,  do  pray  in  His 
name,  and  have  more  confidence  in  Him  than  they  have 
in  Ram  or  Krishna.  A few  years  ago  a poor  cultivator, 
not  far  from  this,  who  had  heard  of  Christ,  and  had 
been  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  accidentally 
fell  into  a well,  and  was  badly  injured.  His  friends  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  him  out  alive,  and  carried  him  to  the 
government  hospital,  where  he  soon  died.  From  the 
time  he  was  injured  until  death  ended  his  sufferings,  he 
continued  calling  on  Christ  to  help  and  save  him.  The 
names  of  his  old  heathen  gods  were  not  once  mentioned ; 
no  cry  went  up  to  them  for  help ; but  with  the  precious 
name  of  Jesus  on  his  lips,  his  soul  went  into  eternity.” 

A gentleman  who  spent  a short  time  in  India,  tells  of 
the  kindness  and  courtesy  which  he  received  from  a 
finely  educated  Hindu  doctor  in  Bombay,  who  was  in 
every  respect  a gentleman  and  a scholar.  They  spent 


214 


THE  ORIENT 


days  together,  visiting  noted  places,  and  in  kindly  inter- 
change of  thought.  But  the  doctor,  a Hindu,  would  not 
eat  with  the  Christian.  The  gentlemen  finally  ventured 
to  ask  him  how  it  was  that  having  enjoyed  such  social 
intimacy  in  other  respects,  they  could  not  eat  together. 
The  doctor  “replied  at  once,  without  any  reserve,  that  so 
far  as  his  own  feelings  were  concerned,  he  had  no  more 
objection  to  eating  or  drinking  with  me  or  any  other 
Christian  man,  than  with  one  of  his  own  race  and  his 
own  Brahminical  caste,  but  said  he:  ‘I  am  a Hindu  by 
birth;  my  domestic  and  social  relations  are  with  Hindus; 
and  if  I were  to  eat  an  orange  with  you,  or  take  a glass 
of  water  from  vour  hand  and  drink  it,  I should  at  once 
become  an  outcast  from  all  Hindu  society,  my  wife 
would  never  look  at  me  again,  and  I know  no  reason 
whv  I should  make  this  sacrifice  of  myself” 

There  is  not  a missionary  in  India  who  could  not  cite 
numbers  of  such  instances.  No  missionary  estimates  the 
extent  of  his  work  or  influence  simply  by  his  list  of  con- 
verts. The  preparatory  work  of  breaking  up  old  preju- 
dices is  a silent,  almost  Invisible  force,  which  cannot  be 
expressed  by  figures. 

Among  several  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  India,  some 
of  the  most  remarkable  work  has  been  done.  Among 
the  Karens  of  Eastern  India,  over  ten  thousand  have 
become  Christians,  reclaimed  from  wild,  illiterate,  jungle 
people,  to  a good  degree  of  civilization  and  education,  and 
are  set  in  families  in  their  respective  homes. 

The  Sonthals,  a wild  tribe,  who  occupy  a district 
some  three  hundred  miles  west  of  Calcutta,  seem  almost 
as  a people  to  be  turning  to  Christianity.  No  tribe  has 
experienced  a greater  change  for  good. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


216 


The  Shanars,  on  the  southwestern  coast  of  India,  a 
tribe  ot  devil  worshippers,  are  embracing  the  Christian 
faith  and  habits  of  life  in  stiU  greater  proportions.  A 
ruder  people,  more  destitute  of  every  attribute  of  wealth 
or  cultivation,  was  scarcely  to  be  found  in  India,  yet  so 
far  have  they  progressed  that  in  1866  the  one  hundred 
thousand  Christians  among  them  gave  $30,000  for  the 
support  of  the  Gospel.  In  a missionary  report,  their 
present  condition  is  thus  summed  up: 

“Formerly  they  were  devil  worshippers,  one  of  them, 
a devil’s  priest;  they  grew  up  in  the  fear  of  demons;  they 
were  given  to  gluttony,  drunkenness,  and  the  works  of 
the  flesh ; in  cases  of  sickness  they  took  refuge  in  sorcery 
and  other  powers  of  darkness.  Now  they  come  together 
to  hear  the  Word  of  God.  They  declare  that  they  have 
renounced  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  that  they  hate 
drunkenness  and  disorderly  life,  and  that  they  are 
ashamed  of  their  former  life  and  doings.  Instead  of  fear- 
ing the  demons  any  longer,  they  trust  in  the  living  God.” 

The  Baptist  missions  among  the  Telugus  report 
wonderful  successes.  A work  of  great  promise  has 
been  in  operation  for  some  ten  years,  on  the  borders  of 
Tibet,  at  Lahoul.  The  German  missionaries  laboring 
there  are  men  of  wonderful  zeal,  practical  energy,  and 
sacrifices.  For  six  months  of  the  year  they  are  cut  oft 
by  the  snows  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains  from  all  com- 
munication with  the  outer  world.  Still  other  tribes 
might  be  mentioned. 

The  English  government,  in  its  “Blue  Book,”  recently 
gave  most  unqualified  testimony  of  its  appreciation  of 
the  practical  benefit  which  Christianity  is  working  among 
the  people.  It  says: 


216 


THE  OEIENT 


“The  districts  are  dotted  over  with  flourishing  villages 
and  Christian  churches.  There  are  hundreds  of  native 
teachers  employed  among  them,  of  whom  fifty-six  are 
ordained  and  are  supported  to  a great  extent  by  their 
congregations.  Order  and  peace  rule  these  simple 
communities,  which  give  the  government  little  trouble; 
while  large  tracts  of  country  have  been  brought  under 
cultivation,  and  the  peasantry  enjoy  a larger  share  of 
material  comfort  than  in  days  gone  by.” 

Of  the  native  Christian  population,  it  also  says: 

“The  principles  they  profess,  the  standard  of  morals 
at  which  they  aim,  the  education  they  have  received, 
make  them  no  unimportant  element  in  the  empire  w'hich 
the  government  of  India  has  under  its  control.” 

This  official  publication  sums  up  its  testimony  as  to  the 
value  of  missionary  operations,  viewed  from  the  civil 
standpoint,  in  the  following  sentence: 

“The  government  of  India  cannot  but  acknowledge 
the  great  obligation  under  which  it  is  laid  by  the  benev- 
olent exertions  made  by  these  six  hundred  missionaries, 
whose  blameless  example,  and  self-denying  labors,  are 
infusing  new  vigor  into  the  stereotyped  life  of  the  great 
populations  placed  under  English  rule,  and  are  preparing 
them  to  be  in  every  wa}^  better  men  and  better  citizens 
of  the  great  empire  in  which  they  dw'ell.” 

Under  the  labors  of  Rev.  Wm.  Taylor,  a work  of 
grace  has  sprung  up  among  the  English  and  Eurasian 
population,  a class  of  people  numbering  at  least  five 
hundred  thousand,  that  must  have  a marked  effect  upon 
the  progress  of  Christianity  in  India.  The  unprincipled 
and  religiously  indifferent  lives  of  the  majority  of  these 
has  been  a constant  barrier  to  the  success  of  the  mis- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


217 


sionaries.  Every  where  the  question  put  by  the  heathen, 
“If  these  are  Christians,  why  do  you  speak  to  us  ?” 
must  be  answered  by  the  missionary.  Not  only  their 
changed  lives,  but  their  efforts  for  the  spread  of  Divine 
Light  around  them,  must  have  a decided  inffuence. 

The  missionary  periodicals  of  the  different  societies 
give  us  from  week  to  week,  from  month  to  month," 
precious  and  glowing  testimonies  of  the  power  of  the 
Christian  religion  to  change  the  lives  and  hearts  of  indi- 
viduals, to  transform  the  superstitious,  deceitful,  adulter- 
ous idolaters,  into  men  of  upright,  pure,  and  earnest 
character. 

The  missionaries  of  the  last  half  century  have  required 
their  converts  to  make  immense  sacrifices  before  they 
could  be  received  into  the  Christian  church.  They  are 
all  required  to  renounce  caste,  a matter  which  the  early 
Dutch  missionaries  never  dared  touch,  and  a custom  that 
is  still  retained  among  Roman  Catholic  converts.  With 
but  few  exceptions,  they  have  been  cut  ofT  from  family, 
friends,  and  property,  and  have  often  gone  through 
severe  ordeals  of  persecution.  Caste  has  been  and  is 
one  of  the  greatest  barriers  to  a profession  of  Christian 
faith.  It  has  answered  a great  and  beneficent  purpose 
throughout  the  ages  that  India  has  been  steeped  in  igno- 
rance, superstition,  and  idolatry.  It  has  been  a moral 
and  social  restraint,  and  among  many  classes  its  sanitary 
effect  has  been  undeniable.  Education  in  the  arts  and 
the  practices  of  civilization  are  every  day  weakening  the 
hold  of  caste  upon  the  people,  but  unless  the  moral  and 
social  restraints  of  a pure  and  active  religion  immediately 
steps  in  to  take  its  place,  there  is  no  sadder  fact  in  the 
history  of  the  Hindus.  There  are  none  so  outrageous 


218 


THE  ORIENT 


or  so  daring  in  wickedness,  as  those  who  have  voluntarily 
broken  caste,  and  given  up  their  ancient  faith,  but  have 
not  embraced  Christianity.  Upon  the  sins  of  heathenism 
they  feel  at  perfect  liberty  to  engraft  all  the  vices  of  civ- 
ilization, and  they  do  so  with  a recklessness  that  is 
unexcelled. 

Civilized  nations  and  Christian  missions  have  done  too 
much  for  India’s  sons  and  daughters,  to  draw  back  now, 
and  leave  them  to  work  out  their  own  salvation.  For 
many  years  yet  English  law-givers  must  hold  restless 
spirits  in  check,  until  education  and  religious  principle 
has  fully  prepared  them  for  self-government.  For  many 
years  yet,  the  friends  of  Christian  missions  must  double 
and  redouble  their  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  India,  lest, 
having  prepared  the  ground,  they  leave  it  for  the  enemy’s 
tares,  which  only  a baptism  of  fire  and  blood  could 
extirpate. 


CHINA. 


THE  LAND  OF  SINIM. 


Away  on  the  outskirts  of  the  world,  seemingly,  lies  a 
vast  country,  inhabited  by  a people  strangely  unlike,  and 
yet  so  strangely  like  ourselves.  Human  laughter, 
human  tears,  human  love  and  passion,  are  the  same  in 
all  zones,  climes  and  lands,  and  yet  differing  religions, 
differing  governments,  climates  and  civilizations,  seem 
sometimes  almost  to  have  produced  another  order  ot 
beings.  Unlike  ourselves  as  we  may  at  first  glance  con- 
sider the  Chinese,  there  is  probably  no  heathen  country 
or  people  that  bears  so  many  points  of  resemblance  to 
our  own  land  and  people.  These  resemblances  are  thus 
summed  up  by  Dr.  Speer,  in  his  work  on  “China  and 
the  United  States:”  “These  two  vast  countries  resemble 
each  other  in  location,  contour,  climate,  and  other  physi- 
cal conditions  and  capacities,  more  nearly  than  any 
other  of  the  countries  of  the  earth.  Each  is  occupied  b}'- 
a people,  naturally  thoughtful,  earnest,  acquisitive,  and 
enterprising;  each  by  a people  strangely  conglomerate, 
yet  strangely  homogeneous;  each  by  a people  among 
whom  intellect  and  education  constitute  the  only  patent 
of  nobility;  each  by  a people  the  freest  upon  its  own 
continent,  and  governed  mainly  by  rulers  of  its  own 
election,  and  each  country  is  now  in  the  travail  of  a 
change  from  old  bondage  and  feebleness  to  new  power, 
light  and  influence,  which  will  be  felt  to  the  very  corners 
of  the  earth.” 


220 


THE  ORIENT 


The  dissimilarities  are,  however,  far  more  apparent 
to  the  ordinary  observer.  The  Chinaman  is  an  idolater; 
he  clings  with  closest  tenacity  to  the  old  ways  of  his 
ancestors,  his  learning  is  that  of  the  ancients,  modern 
research  and  science  counts  for  nothing;  the  days  of  his 
invention  are  past,  and  he  is  to-day  simply  a careful 
copyist;  the  habits  ot  his  every  day  life  are  conducted  in 
a manner  that  is  to  us  apparently  contrary  to  all  ease  or 
sound  sense,  and  in  his  personal  habits,  he  is  outrageously 
uncleanly;  yet,  like  the  American,  he  imagines  that  his 
alone  are  the  people,  that  he  of  all  the  world  knows  best 
how  the  affairs  of  this  universe  should  be  conducted.  If 
any  nation  on  earth  could  be  pardoned  for  such  an  ego- 
tism, that  nation  is  the  Chinese.  Their  rule  covers  one- 
tenth  of  the  habitable  globe,  and  holds  one-third  of  its 
people,  while  the  age  and  stability  of  their  empire  is 
unparalleled. 

The  name  China  is  unknown  to  the  Chinese,  its  origin 
is  the  subject  of  many  speculations,  almost  every  writer 
on  the  country  which  bears  the  appellation,  having  some 
theory  of  his  own  regarding  it.  Some  say  that  it  is 
derived  from  Tsin,  the  name  of  a d}Tiasty  that  became 
supreme  in  China  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
before  Christ.  This  theory,  however,  “cannot  bear  the 
test  of  criticism,  enlightened  by  modern  acquaintance 
with  the  literature  of  the  East.  It  is  evident  that  the 
word  was  used  in  the  Sanskrit  and  other  Indian  lan- 
guages, long  previous  to  the  Tsin  dynasty.  The  exact 
word  ‘China’  is  found  in  the  Laws  of  Mumi  and  in 
ancient  Tamil  books.  It  is  found  in  the  Hebrew  of 
Isaiah,  four  centuries  before  the  reign  of  Tsin,  in  a 
prophecy  of  the  conversion  of  the  distant  East  to  Christ. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


221 


‘Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far — the  south — and  lo  ! 
these  from  the  north  and  from  the  west;  and  these  from 
the  land  of  Sinim  !’  This  remarkable  passage  the  best 
Hebrew  scholars  of  the  day  have  almost  unanimously 
settled  to  mean  ‘the  Chinas,’  the  plural  form  of  the  word 
being  that  which  is  often  granted  to  notable  or  extensive 
countries.” 

In  the  ancient  times  a legend  was  current  in  Persia 
and  Arabia,  that  “Japhet  had  eleven  sons,  of  whom  Gin 
or  Chin  was  the  eldest;  that  as  such  his  father  sent  him 
for  his  portion  to  the  fertile  countries  of  the  far  East,  and 
that  his  descendants  early  became  distinguished  for 
painting,  carving,  and  the  cultivation  of  silk.”  Dr. 
Speer’s  theory  is  that  the  name  China  comes  from  a 
Chinese  name  of  the  silkworm. 

The  Chinese  have  several  names  for  their  country,  all 
more  or  less  expressive  of  their  supposition  that  theirs  is 
the  most  important  and  centrally  located  of  the  nations 
of  the  world.  The  name  most  common  among  them- 
selves is  Chung  Kwoh,  or  Middle  Kingdom.  This 
name  is  applied  more  particularly  to  the  Eighteen  Prov- 
inces, and  in  it  is 'seen  the  evidence  of  the  greatness  of 
their  power,  and  also  their  lack  of  knowledge  of  other 
portions  of  the  world.  On  the  north  and  west  lies  the 
vast  country  of  the  Tartar  tribes,  all  subject  to  Chinese 
rule.  On  the  south  and  southwest  are  Burmah  and 
Siam,  on  the  east  Japan,  and  on  the  southeast  the  near 
islands  of  a boundless  sea  render  tribute  to  their  power. 
Within  aU  the  realm  of  their  rule  or  conquest  they  are 
the  most  civilized  and  enlightened  nation.  That  there  is 
an\i;hing  great  beyond  they  are  but  just  discovering, 
and  they  are  scarcely  yet  aware  that  ambassadors  from 


222 


TEE  ORIENT 


Other  lands  are  not  always  messengers  from  inferior 
nations,  bearing  tribute  to  the  “Heavenly  Dynasty.’* 
The  terms  “Celestial  Kingdom”  and  “Celestial”  are  also 
unknown  to  the  Chinese,  having  been  given  by  foreign- 
ers who  misunderstood  the  meaning  of  the  appellation, 
“Heavenly  Dynasty,”  which  simply  signifies  that  the 
reigning  dynasty  is  appointed  by  the  authority  of  heaven. 

The  Chinese  Empire  contains  more  than  five  millions 
of  square  miles,  or  twice  the  area  of  the  United  States. 
This  vast  country  “occupies  the  same  position  in  the 
Eastern  Hemisphere  that  the  United  States  does  in  the 
Western,  Its  line  of  sea-coast  on  the  Pacific,  resembles 
that  of  the  United  States  on  the  Atlantic,  not  only  in 
length,  but  also  in  contour.  Being  found  within  almost 
the  same  parallels  of  latitude,  it  embraces  the  same  vari- 
eties ot  climate  and  productions.  A river  as  grand  as 
the  Mississippi,  flowing  east,  divides  the  empire  into  two 
nearly  equal  parts,  which  are  often  designated  as  ‘North 
of  the  River,’  and  ‘South  of  the  River.’  It  passes 
through  an  immense  and  fertile  valle}’,  and  is  supplied  by 
numerous  tributaries,  having  their  rise  in  mountain  ranges 
on  either  side,  and  also  in  the  Himalayas  on  the  west.” 

Indefinite  as  may  be  our  ideas  of  this  wonderful  coun- 
try, it  is  not  because,  as  in  Africa,  that  its  native  people 
have  not  sufficient  intelligence  or  public  spirit  to  study 
out  its  geography.  No  portion  of  Asia,  excepting  India 
under  the  English  government,  has  been  so  carefully 
surv^eyed  and  mapped  out  as  China.  The  Chinese  geog- 
raphies are  hardN  equalled  in  number  or  minuteness,  in 
any  language.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  collect  a 
library  of  ten  thousand  volumes,  of  the  geographical 
and  statistical  works  in  China. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


223 


An  immense  desert,  lying  north  and  northeast  of 
Tibet,  covering  an  area  of  more  than  a million  square 
miles,  is  nearly  uninhabitable,  though  not  so  dreary  and 
desolate  as  the  Sahara  of  Africa.  Of  the  rest  of  the 
empire,  nearly  four-fifths  is  mountainous  or  hilly,  and  is 
mainly  immensely  productive  and  populous. 

“The  rivers  of  China  are  her  glory,  and  no  country 
can  compare  with  her  natural  facilities  of  inland  naviga- 
tion, and  the  people  themselves  consider  that  portion  of 
geography  relating  to  their  rivers  as  the  most  interesting, 
and  give  it  the  greatest  attention.  The  four  largest  rivers 
in  the  empire  are  the  Yellow  River,  the  Yangtsz’  kiang, 
the  Helung  kiang,  or  Amour,  and  the  Tarim,  or  Yar- 
kand; the  Yaru-tsanghu  also  runs  more  than  a thousand 
miles  within  its  borders.  Of  these  magnificent  streams, 
the  Yellow  River  is  the  most  celebrated,  though  the 
Yangtsz’  kiang  is  the  largest  and  most  useful.” 

The  Chinese  divide  their  empire  into  three  principal 
parts  or  divisions; 

“i.  The  Eighteen  Provinces,  or  that  which  is  more 
strictly  called  China  or  China  proper;  it  is,  with  trivial 
additions,  the  country  which  was  conquered  by  the  Man- 
chus  in  1664. 

2.  Manchuria,  or  the  native  country  of  the  Manchus, 
lying  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Liautung,  and  east  of  the  Inner 
Daourian  Mountains  to  the  Pacific. 

3.  Colonial  Possessions,  including  Mongolia,  111 — 
comprising  Sungaria  and  Eastern  Tiirkistan,  Koko-nor 
and  Tibet. 

China  proper,  the  portion  best  known  to  foreigners,  is 
about  half  as  large  as  Europe.  It  is  nearly  square,  being 
about  fourteen  hundred  miles  in  length  from  north  to 


224 


THE  OlilENT 


south,  and  thirteen  hundred  in  width.  An  impression 
has  prevailed  that  China  was  an  unhealthy  country,  par- 
ticularly for  foreigners.  This  misapprehension  arose 
from  the  fact  that  the  first  ports  open  to  Europeans  were 
among  the  rice-growing  districts,  that  during  the  summer 
months  were  surrounded  by  stagnant  water.  Later 
treaties  have  opened  other  ports  that  will  compare 
favorably  with  most  parts  in  our  own  land.  “In  different 
parts  of  the  country  almost  every  variety  of  climate  may 
be  found,  hot  or  cold,  moist  or  dry,  salubrious  or  mala- 
rious. The  winters  of  the  more  northern  provinces  are 
as  severe  as  in  Philadelphia  or  Boston,  but  the  summers 
are  very  warm.  At  Peking,  navigation  is  closed  for  two 
or  three  months  during  the  winter.  How  bitterly  the 
cold  must  oppress  the  poor  we  can  scarcely  realize,  for 
“there  are  no  stoves  or  fire-places  even  in  the  north  of 
China,  where  the  winters  are  severe.  To  keep  the 
hands  and  feet  warm,  brass  and  earthen  foot-stoves  are 
used,  and  a delicate  little  hand-stove,  which  gentlemen 
and  ladies  carry  in  their  sleeves.  In  the  colder  latitudes, 
a raised  platform,  or  dais,  is  built  in  the  room,  of  brick  and 
stone,  under  which  a fire  is  kindled,  a chimney  carrying 
off  the  smoke.  The  whole  substance  of  this  dais  becomes 
heated,  and  retains  its  warmth  for  several  hours.  This 
is  the  almost  universal  bed  of  the  north  of  China.  It 
radiates  very  little  heat,  however,  into  the  room.  The 
people  keep  themselves  warm  by  the  use  of  additional 
clothing.” 

The  population  of  all  China  numbers  between  four 
and  five  hundred  millions,  at  least  one-third  of  the  human 
race.  “Its  inhabitants  are  about  equal  in  number  to 
those  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  Europe,  and  of  North  and 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


225 


South  America  combined.”  Single  provinces  contain  a 
population  nearly  equal  to  that  of  the  largest  nations  of 
Europe  or  of  the  United  States.  The  greatness  of  the 
population  seems  almost  incredible,  but  the  indications 
of  an  immense  number  of  inhabitants  are  everywhere 
seen.  “The  fields  are  everywhere  full  of  laborers;  in 
the  mountainous  districts  are  seen  scores  of  terraces, 
rising  one  above  another,  to  the  height  of  five  hundred 
or  one  thousand  feet,  and  the  hills  cultivated  in  many 
places  to  their  very  tops.  Pedestrians  are  everywhere 
seen  in  the  roads  and  by-paths,  the  rivers,  and  numerous 
canals,  are  filled  with  boats,  and  a great  variety  of  busy 
artisans  ply  their  crafts  in  the  noisy  streets  of  the  cities 
and  villages.”  Every  foot  of  ground  is  in  use,  either  as 
a burial  place,  a dwelling  place,  or  a carefully  cultivated 
garden.  The  majority  of  the  streets  in  the  cities  are  not 
more  than  eight  feet  wide.  The  paved  footpaths  in  the 
country  are  often  so  narrow  that  persons  passing  must 
turn  off  the  walk  altogether.  The  rivers  and  canals 
swarm  with  a population  peculiarly  their  own,  who  know 
no  other  home.  To  a traveler  in  the  rural  districts  and 
villages  of  America,  who  has  spent  several  years  in  such 
a densely  populated  country,  nothing  seems  more  strange 
than  the  apparent  absence  of  people  here. 

The  Chinese  eat  but  little  meat;  their  diet  is  mainly 
vegetables,  varied  by  pork,  fish,  and  poultry.  For  leather 
they  use  pig  skin;  for  clothing,  silk  and  cotton;  they  sel- 
dom use  either  milk,  butter,  or  cheese,  and  in  the  prov- 
inces, horses  or  beasts  of  burden  are  but  little  used; 
hence,  comparatively  speaking,  scarce  an  acre  of  ground 
is  reserved  for  pasturage.  It  is  all  put  under  tribute,  to 
furnish  food  for  man,  and  with  the  Chinese  habits  of 


226 


THE  ORIENT 


life,  a much  larger  portion  can  find  subsistence,  than  in 
countries  where  wool  is  one  of  the  principal  articles  of 
dress,  and  cattle  and  their  products  contribute  largely  to 
supply  daily  food. 

The  public  works  of  China  are  scarcely  paralleled  for 
magnitude  in  any  age  or  countr}^  of  the  world,  and  yet 
their  usefulness,  beauty,  or  scientific  construction,  is  not 
at  all  commensurate  with  their  greatness.  The  walled 
cities  of  China  number  over  1,700,  each  averaging  a 
circumference  of  four  miles.  Adding  to  the  aggregate 
number  of  miles  of  solid  wall  encompassing  these 
cities,  the  1,500  miles  of  the  Great  Wall,  or  “Myriad- 
mile  Wall”  of  China,  there  are  estimated  to  be  over 
8,000  miles  of  wall  built  for  protection  against  invading 
forces.  To  this  amount  might  still  be  added  the  many 
miles  of  walls  built  in  the  cities  as  fire  breaks.  The 
walls  enclosing  the  cities  and  the  Great  Wall  are  much 
the  same  in  strength  and  construction.  “The  outside  is 
of  solid  masonry,  from  two  to  four  feet  thick,  built  of 
hewn  stone,  or  bricks  backed  with  earth,  broken  tiles, 
etc.”  They  are  from  twenty  to  thirty-five  feet  in  height, 
and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  thick  at  the  base, 
but  somewhat  narrower  at  the  top. 

An  American  consul,  returned  from  China,  was  show- 
ing to  his  friends  a brick  from  the  Great  Wall.  “It  was 
brought,”  said  he,  “all  the  way  from  the  Great  Wall, 
on  the  back  of  a donkey,”  and,  still  anxious  to  assure  his 
friends  that  he  knew  it  was  from  the  Great  Wall,  he 
added,  to  their  intense  amusement,  “I  brought  it  myself  ” 

The  Great  Canal  is  the  second  great  public  work  of 
China.  It  was  constructed  partially  in  the  seventh  cen- 
tury, partially  in  the  thirteenth,  and  completed  in  the 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


227 


fourteenth.  Its  entire  length  is  650  miles,  but  this  is 
insignificant  compared  with  the  aggregate  length  of 
other  canals.  In  some  parts  of  China,  canals  almost 
entirely  supply  the  place  of  roads.  With  so  wonderful 
a net-work  of  rivers  and  canals,  furnishing  water  com- 
munication with  so  many  parts  of  China,  the  necessary 
number  of  boatmen  form  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
people.  Their  boats  are  usually  their  homes  during 
their  entire  lives.  They  become  very  expert  in  the 
handling  of  their  water  craft,  and  have  some  curious 
kinds,  that  our  college  regattas  might  not  find  beneath 
their  skill  to  try.  The  boats  are  often  propelled  by  a 
broad  bladed  scull,  that  turns  upon  a pivot  in  the  stern. 
Sails  are  used  during  favorable  winds,  oars  are  occasion- 
ally seen,  and  other  boats  are  tracked  or  towed  by  the 
boatmen  on  shore.  A curious  kind  of  foot  propelled 
boat  is  described  by  Mr.  Nevius.  “It  resembles  a canoe, 
and  is  made  to  carry  one  passenger,  with  a little  baggage. 
The  hull  is  generally  decorated  with  landscape  paint- 
ings. A thick,  bent,  bamboo  matting  covers  the  top, 
and  while  it  protects  the  traveler  from  sun  and  rain, 
obliges  him  to  keep  a recumbent  position,  except  when 
one  of  the  mats  is  removed.  The  boatman,  sitting  in  the 
stern,  which  is  only  about  a foot  and  a half  wide,  and 
bracing  his  back  against  a board,  propels  his  little  craft 
in  a very  peculiar  way,  with  a foot  oar,  and  guides  it  with 
a paddle.  It  is  so  crank  that  the  passenger  must  be 
careful  in  moving,  for  fear  of  upsetting  it.  This  may  be 
called  the  dispatch-boat  of  China.  One  boatman  will 
sometimes  ply  the  oar  for  sixteen  or  more  hours,  with 
very  little  intermission,  changing  constantly  from  one 
foot  to  the  other.  I have  known  one  of  them  to  stop  for 


228 


THE  ORIENT 


a moment  at  an  eating-house,  procure  a bowl  of  rice, 
and  one  of  vegetables,  resume  his  seat,  put  the  two 
bowls  on  one  hand,  the  two  chop-sticks  in  the  other,  one 
foot  on  the  oar,  and  the  paddle  under  his  arm  to  steer  by, 
and  so  proceed  on  his  journey  and  enjoy  his  dinner  at 
the  same  time.” 

The  boatwomen  are  usually  allowed  to  have  large 
feet;  probably  to  save  them  from  greater  liability  of 
being  drowned.  It  becomes  the  boat-people  each  to 
look  out  for  themselv'es,  for  no  friendly  hand  is  ever  put 
forth  to  save  a drowning  person.  They  believe  that  the 
water-dragon  has  need  of  the  drowned,  and  were  any  to 
interfere  with  his  wishes,  he  might  return  his  anger  upon 
them. 

The  student  of  Natural  History  finds  an  ample  field, 
and  abundant  material,  representing  its  every  depart- 
ment in  China.  Not  only  are  found  on  its  banks  or  in 
its  waters  nearly  every  kind  of  production  known  to 
other  countries,  but  also  some  kinds  or  species  peculiar 
to  itself  Among  plants,  bamboo,  |ice,  sugar-cane,  mul- 
berries, and  the  tallow-tree,  are  the  most  important,  as 
contributing  largely  to  the  subsistence  of  the  Chinese. 
The  bamboo  answers  almost  innumerable  purposes, 
but  principally  that  of  paper  making,  a most  important 
article  of  trade,  as  the  Chinese  consume  an  immense 
amount  of  paper.  Rice  is  the  bread  of  China,  sugar  is 
consumed  in  a thousand  forms,  and  in  unlimited  quanti- 
ties ; the  mulberry  feeds  the  silk  worm ; the  tallow-tree 
furnishes  candles  for  homes  and  temples,  and  a species 
of  sumac  furnishes  the  varnish  for  the  japanned  material 
or  lacquer  work  of  China. 

Tea  is  peculiarly  Chinese.  The  exportation  of  tea 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


229 


from  China,  and  the  importation  of  opium,  have  opened 
its  ports  as  no  other  force  seemed  able  to  do.  The  con- 
sumption of  tea  by  the  Chinese  themselves  is  unlimited. 
“A  true  Chinese  is  never  seen  to  drink  cold  water,  for  he 
thinks  it  destructive  to  health,  and  hates  it.”  In  families 
and  shops  a pot  of  tea  always  stands  ready,  but  when 
something  especially  nice  is  wanted,  a few  leaves  are 
put  in  a cup,  and  water,  boiled  after  the  following  receipt, 
is  poured  over  them.  “Whenever  tea  is  to  be  infused 
for  use,  take  water  from  a running  stream,  and  boil  it 
over  a lively  fire.  It  is  an  old  custom  to  use  running 
water,  boiled  over  a lively  fire;  that  from  springs  in  the 
hiUs  is  said  to  be  the  best,  and  river  water  the  next, 
while  well  water  is  the  worst.  When  making  an  infu- 
sion, do  not  boil  the  water  too  hastily,  as  at  first  it  should 
begin  to  sparkle  like  crabs’  eyes,  then  somewhat  like 
fishes’  eyes,  and  lastly  to  boil  up  like  pearls  innumerable, 
springing  and  wavfing  about.  This  is  the  w'ay  to  boil 
water.” 

The  best  teas  do  not  find  their  way  to  this  country,  as 
they  are  unappreciated  here.  The  green  tea,  so  largely 
a favorite  among  Western  nations,  is  never  used  by  the 
Chinamen,  and  is  only  made  by  them  to  please  a market 
that  requires  it.  Prussian  blue  and  g\’psum  are  used  for 
coloring.  A kind  of  green  tea  is  made  without  coloring, 
but  its  color  is  not  so  bright  and  uniform  as  the  foreign 
market  requires. 

Since  the  patriarchal  age  in  China,  silk  has  been  one 
of  its  most  abundant  and  useful  products.  Si-ling,  one  of 
the  earliest  empresses,  who  lived  about  2602  years  before 
Christ,  taught  the  people  to  weave  and  dye  silk,  “and 
even  to  this  day  the  Chinese  offer  up  annual  sacrifices. 


230 


THE  ORIENT 


and  hold  a festival  in  honor  of  the  princess,  who  first 
wove  silken  garments.”  One  of  the  early  emperors, 
discovering  that  silk  worms  fed  on  mulberry  leaves  pro- 
duced a fine  quality  of  silk,  decreed  that  ever}’  man 
owning  an  estate  of  not  less  than  five  acres,  should  plant 
the  boundary  with  mulberry  trees.  The  use  of  silk  was 
discovered  very  early  in  the  history  of  China,  probably 
within  the  centur}'  after  Noah.  The  few  silks  that  were 
carried  across  the  country  to  the  West,  were  highly 
prized,  and  commanded  great  prices,  but  it  was  not  until 
the  middle  of  the  sixth  century  after  Christ  that  silk 
worms  were  carried  into  Europe.  Two  Nestorian 
monks,  who  went  as  Christian  missionaries  to  the  East, 
returned  to  Europe  with  silk-worm  eggs  concealed  in  a 
cane,  and  these  were  the  progenitors  of  all  the  silk- 
worms propagated  in  Europe. 

The  Chinese  system  of  chronology  was  established 
during,  or  but  a short  period  subsequent  to  the  time  of 
Noah.  This  system  of  noting  cycles  of  sixty  years,  has 
been  kept  up  with  great  care  and  precision,  and  though 
there  is  much  that  is  fabulous  in  Chinese  histories,  the 
dates  of  actual  events  narrated  are  pretty  closely  deter- 
mined. 

Previous  to  the  age  of  Confucius,  Chinese  history  is 
obscure,  but  presents  points  of  interest.  The  people 
dwelt  securely  under  a regular  form  of  government,  the 
peasantry  had  rights  of  farming,  pasture,  and  fishing, 
far  superior  to  those  enjoyed  by  the  peasants  of  Europe. 
Coined  money  was  in  use  at  an  early  day,  the  magnet 
was  known  to  the  Chinese  ages  before  the  Christian  era, 
writing  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  their  arts,  public 
schools  were  established,  and  the  rich  and  poor  were  all 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


231 


educated  alike,  and  the  dress  of  a literary  man,  then  as 
now,  was  distinguished  by  a square  of  black  silk,  orna- 
mented with  an  embroidered  bird  or  tiger,  worn  upon 
the  breast. 

About  550  B.  c.  Confucius  appeared  in  China,  and  by 
his  virtuous  teachings  and  noble  example,  exerted  a 
most  remarkable  influence  upon  his  native  land  and  its 
people. 

“The  age  of  Confucius  was  the  great  turning  point  in 
Chinese  history'.  He  was  to  Eastern  Asia  what  Luther 
was  to  Western  Europe — the  great  harbinger  of  the 
departure  of  an  old,  corrupt,  and  iron  age,  and  of  the 
advent  of  a new,  thinking,  progressive,  silver  age.” 
The  teachings  of  Confucius  for  nearly  twenty-five  hun- 
dred years  have  been  the  primer,  the  school  book,  the 
classic,  and  the  gospel  of  the  Chinese.  They  elevated 
the  people  to  a degree  of  civilization  above  that  of  all 
surrounding  nations,  but  stranded  them  upon  the  coldest 
of  formalisms. 

The  artesian  well  was  known  centuries  ago  in  China; 
the  art  of  making  paper  and  ink  was  discovered  by  the 
Chinese  some  time  during  the  first  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era;  books  were  printed  in  958,  five  hundred  years 
before  the  invention  of  Gutenberg;  gunpowder  was  also 
among  theii  early  inventions;  the  fact  of  the  circulation 
of  the  blood  has  long  been  known  to  the  Chinese,  and 
they  inoculated  for  the  small-pox  in  the  ninth  century. 

Important  as  were  these  early  inventions,  the  Chinese 
have  scarcely  improved  upon  them,  and  still  use  many 
of  the  early  and  imperfect  methods.  The  proud  conceit 
and  blind  superstition  of  the  Chinese,  has  long  kept  them 
from  accepting  or  receiving  benefit  from  the  inventions 


232 


THE  ORIENT 


and  improvements  of  other  lands.  A strange  supersti- 
tion, called  “Fung  Shwuy,”  relating  to  the  powers  of  the 
air  and  spirits,  practically  shuts  out  from  China  the  tele- 
graph and  railway.  A few  years  ago  a short  line  of 
telegraph  was  put  up  between  two  European  stations, 
but  it  interfered  with  somebody’s  “Fung  Shwuy,”  and 
one  night  was  pulled  down  by  the  Chinese.  Quite 
recently,  six  miles  of  railway  have  been  projected,  and 
permission  received  to  put  it  down.  That  it  can  be 
accomplished  is  not  quite  certain.  Still,  slowly  and 
surely,  a few  leading  spirits  among  the  Chinese  are 
awaking  to  the  fact  that  all  the  world  lies  not  under  their 
umbrella,  that  some  day  they  must  accept  something  of 
the  civilization  and  learning  of  the  West,  or  be  left  behind 
in  the  march  of  nations. 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


233 


THE  WOMEN  OF  CHINA. 

Dark  as  the  picture  may  be  of  the  200,000,000  women 
of  China,  still  it  is  not  so  utterly  hopeless  and  soulless  as 
that  of  the  women  of  Muhammedan,  or  other  heathen 
countries.  Yet  their  estate  is  dark,  and  wicked,  and  sad 
enough,  to  stir  the  pity  of  the  most  thoughtless  women 
in  Christian  lands. 

The  teachings  of  Confucius  very  largely  determined 
the  position  of  women  in  China.  While  he  did  not  veiy 
narrowly  restrict  women,  he  accorded  to  them  little 
respect  and  honor.  His  own  experience  of  women 
seems  not  to  have  been  altogether  a happy  one.  As  a 
son,  brought  up  and  educated  by  a widowed  mother,  he 
taught  the  utmost  respect  to  aged  women,  but  as  a man, 
who  felt  called  upon  to  divorce  the  wife  of  his  youth, 
after  she  had  borne  him  one  son,  he  placed  a very  low 
value  upon  girls  and  young  women. 

It  is  a heavy  burden  of  disgrace,  a crushing  sense  of 
inferiority,  that  is  borne  by  the  countless  multitudes  of 
women  in  China,  each  of  whom  is  told  that  her  sex  is 
the  just  punishment  for  sins  committed  in  some  previous 
stage  of  existence,  each  of  whom  is  taught  to  believe 
that  “Boys  are  a blessing,  but  girls  are  a curse  and 
nuisance.” 

For  ages  the  first  smiles  of  the  myriads  of  China’s 
daughters,  have  been  met  by  a mother’s  tears  of  bitter 
disappointment,  and  a father’s  imprecations.  In  unutter- 


234 


THE  ORIENT 


able  anguish,  they  have  realized  their  own  nothingness, 
wlien  called  upon  to  give  into  a murderer’s  hands 
daughter  after  daughter,  simply  because  they  were  girls. 
V.’hat  wonder  that  their  first,  their  last,  and  their  most 
oft-repeated  prayer  in  the  Buddhist  temples,  is  that  they 
may  be  men  in  their  next  stage  of  existence,  or  that  with 
infinite  fatigue  and  discomfort,  they  should  travel  hun- 
dreds of  miles  in  their  extreme  old  age,  to  some  sacred 
shrine,  to  “remind  their  god  of  the  long  abstinence  from 
flesh  and  fish  during  the  course  of  their  lives,  and  solicit, 
as  a recompense,  a happy  transmigration  for  their  souls.” 
One  writer  speaks  of  havdng  seen  women  of  seventy  and 
ninety  years  of  age,  upon  such  an  errand,  three  hundred 
miles  from  their  homes. 

In  many  families,  the  girls  are  not  named,  but  are 
called  No.  One,  Two  or  Three.  When  they  are  married 
they  are  called  Mr.  So  and  So’s  wife,  and  when  they 
have  sons,  they  are  such  and  such  a boy’s  mother.  They 
hav'e  no  place  in  general  society,  live  in  a great  measure 
secluded,  and  are  always  expected  to  retire  when  a 
friend  of  the  opposite  sex  enters  the  house.  Among  the 
very  poor,  who  have  but  one  room  in  their  houses, 
though  the  feeling  is  the  same,  circumstances  do  not 
allow  of  the  same  seclusion,  and  in  families  where  the 
labor  of  the  mother  must  contribute  to  the  support  of  the 
family,  the  women  come  and  go  as  the  men. 

A Chinese  woman  is  either  a small-footed  lady  or  a 
day  laborer;  “a  gilded  recluse  or  a field  hand;  destined 
to  idleness,  frivolous  occupations,  and  jealous  seclusion, 
or  made  to  delve  in  the  soil,  tug  at  the  oar,  groan  under 
burdens,  and  jostle,  shout  and  swear  with  the  roughest 
and  rudest  in  the  crowded  streets,  thronged  rivers,  and 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


235 


choked  market-places,”  toiling  for  her  own  support,  for 
her  children,  and  perhaps  supporting  an  idle  rake  who 
calls  himself  her  husband,  and  squanders  her  earnings  at 
the  gambling  house  or  opium  den. 

Chinese  ladies  are  seldom  seen  in  the  streets,  yet  a 
certain  degree  of  liberty  is  allowed.  “When  a mandarin 
gives  a grand  entertainment,  his  wife  frequently  invites 
her  friends  to  witness  the  theatrical  performances,  and 
various  amusing  exhibitions  that  are  going  forward  dur- 
ing the  dinner.  These  they  can  see,  without  being  seen, 
from  a latticed  gallery  provided  for  that  purpose;  and 
thus  they  are  not  entirely  debarred  from  the  enjoyment 
of  the  festivities,  although  they  do  not  mingle  with  the 
guests.” 

Polygamy  prevails  to  a certain  degree  in  China,  and  is 
sometimes  considered  necessary  to  save  a man  from  the 
appearance  of  impiety.  The  philosopher  Mencius  says, 
“There  are  three  kinds  of  impiety,  the  greatest  of  which 
is  to  be  without  male  descendants,”  hence  should  a fam- 
ily be  without  sons  to  perpetuate  the  family  name,  make 
sacrificial  offerings,  and  feed  the  spirits  of  deceased  ances- 
tors, a man  at  forty  years  of  age  is  considered  to  be  only 
fulfilling  the  demands  of  respectability  by  taking  a second 
wife.  Men  of  high  rank,  or  wealth,  however,  take  new 
wives  as  often  as  they  choose. 

Another  source  of  humiliation  to  Chinese  women,  is  the 
custom  of  buying  and  selling  them  for  marriage.  All 
classes  of  Chinese  present  some  equivalent  to  the  parents 
or  guardians  of  the  women  they  marry.  Little  girls  are 
sold  for  a comparatively  small  sum,  while  older  girls, 
which,  as  a matter  of  course,  have  been  sources  of  greater 
expense  for  food  and  clothing,  command  a higher  price. 


236 


THE  ORIENT 


“A  family  of  handsome  daughters,  particularly  if  well 
trained  in  ceremonials  and  Chinese  accomplishments,  are 
often  a source  of  great  profit  to  their  parents.”  Men 
occasionally  sell  their  wives  to  other  men,  who  cannot 
afford  the  expense  of  a girl.  A living  man’s  wife  sells 
very  cheap. 

“The  employments  among  wealthy  Chinese  ladies 
are — working  embroidery,  playing  on  different  musical 
instruments,  and  painting  on  silk  and  rice  paper.  Yet 
some  ladies  are  well  educated,  and  there  are  families 
where  private  tutors  are  employed,  and  the  girls  are 
allowed  to  participate,  to  a certain  extent,  in  the  studies 
of  their  brothers.” 

The  dress  of  Chinese  ladies  differs  but  little  in  style 
from  the  fashion  of  a thousand  or  so  years  ago.  It  is 
ample  and  comfortable,  and  may  be  plain,  or  richly  orna- 
mented, according  to  the  wealth  of  the  wearer.  Miss 
Seward  thus  describes  the  dress  and  appearance  of  a 
woman  of  high  rank  and  wealth:  “She  wore  a lavender- 
colored,  embroidered  crdpe  petticoat,  over  this  a double 
tunic  of  two  pretty  shades  of  blue  silk,  trimmed  with  a 
variegated  chintz  border,  scarlet  satin  embroidered  under- 
sleeves, so  long  as  nearly  to  conceal  the  slender  hands — 
the  nails,  as  long  as  the  fingers,  polished  and  stained  to 
resemble  tortoise-shell,  each  nail  having  for  its  protection 
a wrought  gold  case.  Her  coarse,  black,  Mongolian 
hair,  carefully  dressed,  and  fastened  with  gold  pins,  was 
partly  covered  with  a black  satin  cap,  tied  on  the  back. 
This  cap,  not  unlike  in  shape  to  the  “Mary  Stuart,”  w'as 
entirely  seeded  with  pearls,  rubies,  emeralds,  and 
sapphires,  many  of  them,  especially  the  pearls,  large  and 
of  rare  value.  Her  feet,  of  which  only  occasional 


AJS^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


237 


glimpses  could  be  had,  were  not  more  than  three  inches 
long,  and  were  tightly  encased  in  scarlet  satin  shoes;  her 
face  and  neck  literally  plastered  with  pearl  white,  in 
shocking  contrast  with  eyelids  and  cheeks  painted  pink, 
and  lips  red;  her  manners  and  speech  unmistakably 
refined,  and  she  is  reputed  intellectual,  and  fond  of  books.” 
Pearl  white  is  in  great  demand  among  the  ladies  of 
China.  Unlike  other  dark  races,  who  usually  consider 
their  own  tint  the  true  color  for  beauty,  the  Chinese  are 
particularly  anxious  to  look  as  white  as  possible.  The 
gems  and  flowers,  either  natural  or  artificial,  are  as  nec- 
essary to  a Chinese  woman’s  proper  appearance,  as  a hat 
or  bonnet  is  to  an  American  woman  upon  the  street. 

“The  tiny  shoes  are  of  satin,  silk,  or  velvet,  beautifully 
worked  with  gold,  silver,  and  colored  silks,  the  soles 
being  formed  of  layers  of  paper,  from  one  to  two  inches 
in  thickness,  and  covered  outside  with  white  leather, 
made  from  pig  skin.  The  little  girls  are  very  becomingly 
attired  in  short  dresses,  reaching  to  the  throat,  and  worn 
over  the  full  trowsers.  The  hair,  which  is  combed  from 
the  forehead,  hangs  down  on  each  side,  and  the  back 
hair  is  plaited  into  one  or  two  long  tails,  in  which  style  it 
remains  until  the  young  lady  is  about  to  become  a 
bride,  when  the  more  matronly  fashion  is  adopted,  and 
the  braids  and  curls  are  formed  into  a knot,  intertwined 
with  flowers  and  jewels.” 

Jewels,  flowers,  satins,  brocaded  silks,  painting,  and 
music,  however,  do  not  indicate  all  that  elegance  and 
cleanliness  which  we  suppose  to  be  their  natural  and 
necessary  attendants.  The  filthiness  of  the  Chinese  of 
all  classes  is  almost  past  belief.  The  houses  of  all,  save 
of  the  wealthiest  and  highest  in  the  land,  have  mud 


THE  OBIEET 


floors,  no  chimneys,  and  are  but  dimly  lighted  from 
paper  windows.  They  never  build  a fire  for  warmth, 
but  even  in  parts  where  the  winters  are  as  cold  as  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  they  put  on  garment  upon  gar- 
ment, cotton,  silks  and  furs,  to  keep  from  freezing. 
Hence,  as  wash  day  and  clean  bedding  are  unknown,  the 
griminess,  foul  odors,  and  vermin  of  head,  bed  and  body, 
are  as  much  a matter  of  course,  as  dust  during  a long 
summer  drouth. 

A lady  relates  an  amusing  incident,  showing  how,  even 
the  higher  classes  seem  indifferent  to  what  we  usually 
suppose  are  universally  accepted  notions  of  cleanliness. 
Some  of  the  literati  of  China  were  visiting  at  her  house, 
when  her  husband  showed  them  a microscope,  and 
among  other  things,  placed  a fly  under  the  glass.  One 
of  these  Chinese  gentlemen,  seeing  the  wonder,  exclaimed 
in  his  own  language,  “It  would  be  curious  to  see  a body 
louse  magnified.”  Placing  his  hand  in  the  bosom  of  his 
elegant  silk,  fur  lined  robe,  when  lo,  he  had  a body 
louse  readv  for  inspection  ! 

The  claim  of  one’s  parents  and  brothers  upon  his 
affection  and  love  is  considered  to  be  paramount  to  that 
of  his  wife.  A reason  given  for  this  doctrine  in  a cele- 
brated Chinese  work,  which  treats  of  the  domestic  rela- 
tions and  duties,  is,  that  the  loss  of  a brother  is  irrepara- 
ble, but  that  of  a wife  is  not ! 

A daughter,  after  she  is  married,  is  not  subject  to  her 
own  parents,  owes  them  no  duty,  and  is  not  counted  as 
one  of  their  children.  She  is  thereafter  completely  sub- 
ject to  her  husband’s  parents.  To  them  she  is  often  little 
different  from  a slave.  With  their  money  she  was 
bought,  and  the  Classics  teach  that,  beside  a man’s  par- 


AXD  TTS  PEOPLE. 


239 


ents,  a wife  is  of  only  secondary  consideration.  The 
wife  is  no  more  at  liberty  to  oppose  the  wishes  of  her 
parents-in-law,  than  previously  to  resist  the  commands 
of  her  own  parents. 

A lady  missionary  thus  speaks  of  the  effect  of  this  doc- 
trine : “It  is  true  that  there  are  young  wives,  even  in 
Christian  lands,  that  know  something  of  family  meddling 
and  tyranny,  but  it  is  not  to  be  compared  to  the  sanctioned 
authority  wielded  over  the  Chinese  wife  by  her  parents- 
in-law  and  her  husband’s  brothers  and  sisters,  and  not  a 
few  have  committed  suicide  to  get  relief  from  this 
tyranny.  But  a few  years  ago,  a wife  in  that  house  just 
below  us,  ended  her  miserable  earthly  existence  by 
taking  opium,  to  free  herself  from  her  mother-in-law.” 
If  the  husband  should  die,  his  friends  may  sell  the  widow 
to  improve  their  own  finances,  or  to  obtain  means  to  buy 
a wife  for  another  son.  She  could  not  return  to  her 
father’s  house,  as  she  is  no  longer  counted  as  one  of  his 
children.  * 

“As  sons  are  the  delight,  the  honor,  the  hope  of  a 
family,  both  for  the  present  and  future  life,  the  wife  is 
careful  to  observe  all  the  prescribed  offerings  to  the  gods 
that  have  power  to  grant  such  a blessing.  If  given  her, 
she  is  an  honored,  happy  woman,  but  alas  ! if  denied, 
her  very  existence  is  often  made  a burden  to  her.  If  the 
husband  is  in  circumstances  to  take  another  wife,  he  may 
do  so,  though  she  must  show  due  honor  to  the  first.” 
StiU,  the  mother  of  the  son  receives  the  honor  and 
respect  of  the  family,  for  the  mother  of  the  heir  to  the 
throne  is  the  first  woman  in  the  land,  though  she  may 
not  be  the  Emperor’s  first  wife. 

The  Classic  says  a woman  has  three  obeyings.  “She 


240 


THE  ORIENT 


must  obey  her  father.  She  must  obey  her  husband.  She 
must  obey  her  son,”  that  is,  after  her  husband’s  death. 

Though  the  Classic  requires  the  mother  to  obey  her 
son,  still  the  custom  and  the  law  would  not  allow  him  to 
treat  her  with  other  than  respect,  or  in  any  way  to  cause 
her  discomfort. 

‘•Women  are  treated  with  more  respect  and  consider- 
ation as  they  advance  in  years;  mothers  are  regarded 
with  great  affection  and  tenderness,  and  grandmothers 
are  sometimes  almost  worshipped.” 

There  appears  to  be  some  diversity  of  opinion,  among 
those  conversant  with  the  Chinese,  as  to  how  far  thi" 
feeling  is  real  or  assumed.  Though  the  doctrine  of  filial 
duty  is  most  carefully  taught,  still,  much  of  its  perform- 
ance is  by  many  considered  to  be  but  the  result  of  selfish- 
ness and  slavish  fear,  rather  than  from  any  genuine  affec- 
tion. Relatives  frequenth'  leave  the  world  with  a threat 
to  return  and  torment  those  who  survive.  These  threats 
are  greatly  feared,  and  both  before  and  after  death,  it  is 
the  best  policy  to  keep  the  spirit  in  good  temper. 

“The  practice  of  binding  the  girls’  feet  is  almost  uni- 
versal. There  is  a class  of  women  in  Canton  and 
Fuchow,  who  have  natural  feet,  but  these  are  rare 
exceptions.  In  nearly  all  other  parts  of  the  empire, 
women  of  all  classes  conform  indiscriminately  to  the 
objectionable  custom,  and  large-footed  women  are 
almost  unknown,  except  those  who  have  come  from 
Canton,  of  the  class  already  referred  to,  and  women  in 
the  Tartar  cities,  who  do  not  adopt  this  Chinese  practice. 
There  is,  however,  a marked  difference  in  the  degree  in 
which  feet  are  compressed.  Country  women,  and  the 
2")Oorer  classes,  have  feet  about  half  the  natural  size. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


241 


while  those  of  the  genteel,  or  fashionable  class,  are  only 
about  three  inches  long. 

“The  process  of  compressing  is  commenced  after  girls 
have  thoroughly  learned  to  walk,  and  have  developed 
the  muscles  for  locomotion — generally  at  the  age  of  five 
years.  A cotton  bandage,  two  or  three  inches  wide,  is 
wound  tightly  about  the  foot  in  different  directions,  and, 
in  the  case  of  the  higher  classes,  the  foot  can  hardly  be 
said  to  grow  from  this  time.  It  assumes  the  shape  of  an 
acute  triangle,  the  big  toe  forming  the  acute  angle,  and 
the  other  toes  being  bent  under  the  foot,  and  almost 
absorbed.  Though  the  effect  of  this  custom  is  to  pro- 
duce real  deformity,  and  a miserable,  tottering  gait,  even 
foreigners  naturally  come  to  associate  it  with  gentility 
and  good  breeding,  and  to  estimate  the  character  and 
standing  of  women,  as  the  Chinese  do,  by  the  size  of  their 
feet.” 

The  custom  of  compressing  the  feet  has  existed  over 
a thousand  years,  and  the  Chinese  can  give  no  satisfac- 
tory account  of  its  origin,  but  it  probably  arose  from 
vanity,  not  unlike  that  displayed  by  some  American 
women,  who  will  endure  tortures  from  tight  shoes,  that 
they  may  appear  to  possess  feet  of  an  elegant  shape. 
Gradually  the  smallness  of  women’s  feet,  in  China,  has 
come  to  be  almost  the  measure  of  her  respectability,  and 
though  the  process  of  binding  is  extremely  painful, 
young  girls  willinglv  submit  to  the  torture,  though  crying 
from  the  agony.  Even  when  properly  attended  to,  it 
requires  two  or  three  years  for  the  feet  to  be  cramped 
into  the  genteel  shape.  After  the  feet  have  been 
sufficiently  compressed  and  deadened,  the  women  often 
walk  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  to  worship  at  Buddhist  temples. 


242 


TEE  ORIENT 


“Infanticide  prevails  to  a greater  or  less  extent  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  empire,  and  is  confined  almost  exclu- 
sively to  female  children.  The  existence  of  moral  tracts, 
written,  published,  and  distributed  by  the  Chinese, 
denouncing  this  practice,  and  warning  the  people  to 
avoid  it,  is  sufficient  evidence,  both  of  the  prevalence  of 
the  custom,  and  of  the  acknowledged  wrong  or  immor- 
ality of  it.” 

The  reason  given  for  the  murder  of  these  children  is 
the  poverty  of  parents,  who  find  themselves  unable  to 
bring  up  a family  of  helpless  girls,  and  get  them  respect- 
ably married.  If  they  allow  their  girls  to  grow  up  with 
large  feet,  and  able  to  earn  something  for  their  own 
maintenance,  no  respectable  man  will  take  one  for  his 
lawful  wife,  and  they  must  almost  inevitably  lead  lives 
of  shame.  As  small-footed  women,  the  amount  they 
can  earn  by  embroidery,  painting,  or  making  mock 
money  and  clothes  for  sacrifices,  is  but  the  merest  trifle. 

The  most  usual  methods  of  putting  the  helpless  little 
creatures  out  of  the  world,  are  by  drowning  in  a tub  of 
water,  throwing  into  a running  stream,  or  burying  alive, 
the  latter  method  in  the  belief  that  consequently  the  next 
child  wiU  be  a boy.  The  father  of  the  child  is  usually 
the  murderer,  as  friends  fear  the  occasion  for  unpleasant 
reflection  in  future  years.  Generally,  the  mother  prefers 
that  the  child  should  be  given  away.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, the  parents  agree  to  destroy  their  daughter,  in  order 
to  keep  her  from  a probable  life  of  shame  or  poverty. 

Frequently  the  little  ones  are  exposed  alive,  by  the 
side  of  a street,  or  under  some  shelter,  probably  with  the 
hope  that  some  family,  or  some  one  of  the  foundling  asy- 
lums, of  which  there  are  several,  both  native  and  foreign. 


ANB  ITS  PEOPLE. 


243 


may  rescue  them.  The  little  waifs  rescued  by  the  native 
asylums,  are  considered,  even  by  the  Chinese,  to  have  a 
particularly  hard  time.  Usually  but  one  nurse  is  allowed 
for  three  children,  and  consequently  a large  proportion  of 
the  little  creatures  die.  Those  who  survive,  are,  at  a 
very  early  age,  sold  for  a trifle,  to  poor  people,  as  wives 
for  their  sons. 

Mrs.  S.  L.  Baldwin,  writing  from  China,  on  infanticide, 
says:  “Many  of  the  mothers  themselves  seem  to  be 
utterly  without  feeling  upon  the  subject,  and  I am  com- 
pelled to  admit  that,  after  years  of  inquiry,  I have  met 
with  but  very  few  who  showed  the  slightest  feeling 
when  they  told  me  of  the  children  they  had  drowned. 
This  has  been  to  me  one  of  the  most  terrible  phases  of 
heathenism,  for  it  is  the  result  of  idolatry  and  their 
heathen  faith,  as  only  the  son  can  care  for  the  parents’ 
future,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  in  that  to  come.  Oh, 
the  horror,  the  utter  degradation  of  this  idol-worship, 
rendering  man  brutal,  and  even  turning  the  mother’s 
heart  against  her  little  one  !” 

Worthy  widows,  who  do  not  remarry,  are  highly  hon- 
ored in  China.  Societies  for  aflbrding  pecuniary  aid  to 
such  are  common.  Immediately  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  a widow,  if  she  is  a mother,  receives  a larger 
stipend  than  at  any  subsequent  time,  in  order  to  assist 
her  in  providing  for  her  young  children.  The  avarice 
and  cupidity  of  the  friends  of  widows  who  are  not  moth- 
ers, often  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  remain  in  wid- 
owhood, even  if  they  would.  There  is  quite  as  much 
difficulty  in  carrying  out  beneficent  laws  in  heathen  as  in 
Christian  lands,  and  a thousand  times  more  duplicity  and 
selfishness  opposed  to  the  enactment  of  humane  laws.  If 


244 


THE  ORIENT 


some  of  our  savans  understood  this,  we  should  hear  less 
of  the  beauties  of  Confucianism,  Buddhism,  or  Hinduism. 

The  Chinese  consider  it  disreputable  for  a widow  to 
marry  again,  and  none  but  the  very  poor,  who  cannot 
afford  the  expense  of  a girl,  will  consent  to  marry  a 
widow.  Widows  are  encouraged  to  remain  single  by 
the  respect  paid  to  them,  particularly  if  they  are  able  to 
maintain  themselves,  and  also  by  the  hope  that  if  they 
arrive  at  the  age  of  at  least  fifty  years,  they  may  have  a 
tablet  or  honorary  portal  erected  for  them  by  their 
friends.  The  Emperor  Kang-hi  decreed  that  every 
widow  who  reached  her  hundredth  year,  should  receive 
thirty  taels  of  silver  from  the  public  treasury,  for  the 
erection  of  a triumphal  arch. 

Nowadays,  these  arches  are  seldom  erected  in  honor 
of  widows.  Very  few  reach  the  age  of  a hundred 
years,  few  have  influential  friends  to  carry  the  project 
through,  and  public  funds  are  not  alwa}^s  spent  for  the 
purpose  specified. 

Though  the  Chinese  daughters-in-law  seem  to  be  so 
sorely  oppressed,  that  sometimes  they  choose  a voluntary 
death  rather  than  life,  still,  the  physical  and  temporal 
condition  of  the  women  of  China  has  its  bright  aspects. 
Their  moral  and  religious  state  demands  our  pity,  and 
earnest  endeavor  to  give  them  a higher  faith,  the  com- 
fort and  assurances  of  the  Christian  religion.  Infanticide 
hardens  their  hearts,  and  so  robs  them  of  natural  affec- 
tion that  they  speak  of  the  murder  of  infant  children  with 
levity;  in  cursing  and  swearing,  and  in  the  use  of  foul 
language,  the  Chinese  are  fearfully  adept,  and  they  them- 
selves say  that  their  “mouths  are  exceedingly  filthy,” 
and  also  say  that  the  “heart  of  woman  is  superlatively 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


245 


poisonous,”  meaning  that  the  women  exceed  the  men  in 
the  use  of  curses  and  foul  abuse.  Religiously,  the 
women  of  China  are  the  slaves  of  idolatry  and  supersti- 
tion. 

Burdened  with  a sense  of  sin,  as  are  all  human  hearts, 
terrified  by  superstitions,  disgraced  by  their  womanhood, 
these  women  of  the  Flower}’’  Kingdom  repair  to  the 
temples  and  Buddhist  priests  asking  for  light,  seeking  a 
way  of  salv’ation.  Mr.  Nevius  represents  the  Buddhist 
priests  as  answering  their  inquiries,  and  teaching  them 
in  the  following  terms: 

“When  you  die,  your  soul  will  pass  into  the  land  of 
spirits,  where  it  may  remain  ages,  or  hundreds  of  years, 
before  it  is  allowed  to  return  to  earth  and  inhabit  another 
body.  In  your  journeyings  there,  when  you  cross 
bridges  you  will  have  to  pay  toll;  when  you  cross  a 
ferry,  you  must  fee  the  ferryman;  if  you  wish  good 
accommodations  and  attentions  in  the  inns,  you  must  be 
able  to  pay  well  for  them.  It  will  be  very  desirable  also 
for  you  to  fee  the  inferior  officers  of  Hades,  so  as  to 
bring  your  case  speedily  before  the  courts  for  adjudica- 
tion, and  facilitate  your  release  and  advancement.  In  a 
word,  money  answers  all  things  in  the  land  of  spirits,  as 
well  as  in  this  present  world.”  “The  women  are  further 
informed  that  the  Buddhist  priests  have  opened  commu- 
nication with  the  land  of  spirits,  and  that  their  drafts  are 
honored  there.  In  one  corner  of  the  temple,  a priest 
sells  these  drafts,  called  tieh.  When  a paper  has  been 
bought,  it  receives  the  great  seal  or  stamp  of  the  temple, 
and  after  the  recipient  has  chanted  the  name,  JVa  mi  o 
mi  ta  full  over  it  from  three  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
times,  it  is  regarded  as  veritable  money,  and  is  laid  aside 


246 


TEE  ORIENT 


for  future  use,  in  a safe  provided  for  the  purpose.”  There 
are  four  different  kinds  of  tieh  necessary ; one  of  these 
most  essential  to  future  happiness,  are  issued  on  but  ten 
days  of  the  year,  and  onl}^  one  can  be  procured  a day. 
,It  requires  sixteen  years  to  collect  a sufficient  number. 

• Altogether,  tieh  can  be  obtained  fifty  or  sixty  days  of  the 
year.  The  priests,  for  a consideration  of  money,  make 
matters  easy  for  the  women,  when  sickness  or  other 
causes  interfere  with  proper  methods  of  worship.  The 
ceremonies  of  the  temples,  and  the  repetition  for  hours 
of  the  words,  JVa  mi  o mi  ta  fuh,  with  a rosary  to  assist 
in  counting,  would  seem  dull  and  monotonous,  but  the 
very  opposite  is  the  case.  “The  scene  is  full  of  lively 
interest,  and  affords  abundant  matter  for  the  gossip  of 
manv  days  to  come.  Old  acquaintances  meet  and 
mutually  entertain  each  other  with  news  of  neighbors, 
family  difficulties,  and  the  virtues  of  their  own  children, 
faults  of  their  daughters-in-law,  and  superstitious  tales. 
With  the  chattering  of  voluble  tongues  is  mixed  the 
continually-interrupted  chant  of  mi  o mi  ta  fuh, 
which,  when  they  are  in  their  turn  listening  to  the  stories 
of  others,  their  tongues  seem  to  repeat  almost  sponta- 
neously.” When  they  are  chanting  together,  as  they 
' sometimes  do,  the  sound  is  very  peculiar;  it  seems  like 
the  mournful  whistling  of  the  wind. 

While  all  women  engage  more  or  less  in  temple  wor- 
ship, as  above  described,  there  is  a class  of  women 
called  book  worshippers,  who  are  regarded  as  particu- 
I larly  religious.  The  exercise  consists  in  worshipping 
everv  character  of  certain  books  successively,  making 
prostrations  as  before  idols.  A person  is  able  to  worship 
a little  more  than  a page  a day.  These  books  must  be 


AJ^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


247 


worshipped  from  ten  to  ninety-six  times.  In  this  man- 
ner, they  pay  off  a debt  and  its  interest  incurred  in  Hades 
before  entering  this  life.  By  another  weary  amount  of 
worship,  they  obtain  a passport  to  the  regions  of  the 
dead. 

Besides  the  above,  there  are  days  of  fasting  to  be 
observed  in  honor  of  the  Tauist  gods;  many  days  of 
worship  to  the  goddess  “Mother,”  the  particular  guardian 
of  children,  the  worship  of  the  ancestral  tablets  of  five 
preceding  generations,  the  semi-monthly  worship  of  the 
“kitchen  god,”  and  of  many  other  gods,  as  sickness, 
adversit}^  prosperity,  or  the  religious  sentiment  of  a 
woman  or  her  family  may  require. 

Idolater  though  she  be,  woman  in  China  holds  a 
higher  place  than  the  heathen  women  of  surrounding 
countries.  The  testimony  of  dissolute  seamen  and  traders, 
whether  American  or  European,  in  regard  to  the  women 
of  China,  must  be  taken  for  just  what  it  is  worth.  Dis- 
solute, unscrupulous  men  find  bad  women  all  the  world 
over.  Neither  are  all  the  Chinese  women  to  be  put  in 
the  scale  with  the  majority  of  Chinese  women  in  Cali- 
fornia. A nefarious  trade  in  bad  women  has  sprung  up 
there,  against  which  the  Chinese  protested,  petitioning 
Congress  to  put  a stop  to  it. 

The  intense  prejudice  of  the  Chinese  against  foreigners, 
renders  the  women  particularly  difficult  of  access  to  mis- 
sionary effort,  but  as  this  aversion  shall  gradually  wear 
away,  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  no  more  abundant  or 
hopeful  field  for  missionary  labor.  There  is  no  prejudice 
against  the  education  of  women  to  be  encountered;  their 
manners  are  very  pleasing,  and  their  hearts  kindly,  save 
as  they  are  warped  and  bound  by  heathenism.  Mission- 


248 


THE  ORIENT 


ary  ladies  feel  more  encouraged  and  more  hopeful  in 
their  work,  the  more  they  become  acquainted  with  the 
better  class  of  Chinese  women,  and  those  removed  from 
the  corrupting  influences  of  seaport  towns.  Some  of  the 
best  fruit  of  missionary  labor  in  China  has  been  among 
the  women,  and  no  mission  field  has  produced  converts 
ot  greater  stability,  or  more  consistent  lives,  than  China. 


AJS^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


249 


THE  RELIGIONS  OF  CHINA. 

The  three  principal  religions  of  China  are  known  as 
Confucianism,  Buddhism,  and  Tauism.  These  three 
systems  are  not  rival  and  antagonistic,  but  co-ordinate 
and  supplementary.  But  few  of  the  Chinese  follow 
solely  the  teachings  of  any  one  of  these  religions,  and  a 
considerable  number  perform  the  ceremonies  or  wor- 
ship the  gods  of  all,  lest,  at  last,  they  should  find  that 
they  had  failed  in  their  duty  to  the  true  god. 

Confucianism  holds  the  first  place  in  rank  and  influ- 
ence among  the  religions  of  China.  Confucius,  the 
founder  of  this  religion,  was  one  of  the  master  minds  of 
the  world.  His  writings  and  teachings  have  affected  the 
thoughts  and  lives  of  a greater  number  of  people,  than 
the  teachings  of  any  other  author,  save  the  inspired 
writers  of  the  Bible.  Muhammedanism,  at  the  point  of 
the  sword,  has  won  and  held  a lesser  influence.  Aristotle 
is  a classic  known  only  to  the  cultured  few.  The  teach- 
ings of  St.  Augustine  and  Luther  are  superseded  by  the 
morals,  culture,  and  learning,  of  later  days,  while  to-day 
the  precepts  and  teachings  of  Confucius  are  the  rule  of 
conduct  for  the  millions  of  China,  even  as  they  have 
been  for  the  last  twenty-three  centuries. 

Confucius  was  born  about  the  year  550  b.  c. — the  same 
year  in  which  Cyrus  became  King  of  Persia.  During 
his  lifetime,  the  Jews  returned  from  Babylon,  Greece  was 


250 


THE  ORIEET 


invaded  by  Xerxes,  and  Eg}'pt  was  conquered  by  the 
Persians.  Confucius’  father  was  a district  magistrate  in 
the  petty  kingdom  of  Lu,  now  included  in  the  province 
of  Shantung.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  three 
3’ears  of  age,  and  his  education  and  training  were  con- 
ducted by  his  worthy  mother.  Such  was  his  gravity  of 
demeanor,  and  his  learning,  that  at  seventeen  his  fellow- 
townsmen  intrusted  him  with  the  duties  of  an  office. 
When  he  was  twenty-four  \’ears  of  age,  his  mother  died. 
In  accordance  with  an  ancient  usage,  which  had  then 
fallen  into  disuse,  he  resigned  his  office  and  emplo}'ment, 
to  mourn  for  her  three  3’ears.  This  practice  of  mourn- 
ing has  continued  until  the  present  day,  and  any  man  of 
wealth  or  rank  who  fails  in  this  duty  is  subject  to  scorn 
and  reproof. 

At  the  age  of  thirty,  Confucius  formally  set  himself 
up  as  a teacher,  and  traveled  largely  in  neighboring 
kingdoms,  to  learn  of  their  methods  of  government  and 
codes  of  morals.  Some  fifteen  or  more  3'ears  later  he 
was  recalled  to  act  as  prime  minister  in  his  native  coun- 
tity,  and  there  he  had  an  opportunity  to  test  the  value  of 
his  theories.  His  success  soon  became  apparent  in  the 
unwonted  prosperity  of  the  countr3' . In  a few  3’ears, 
however,  the  king  wearied  of  strictures  and  austerities, 
and  plunged  into  dissipation.  Confucius  resigned  his 
office,  and  again  became  a teacher,  promulgating  his 
doctrines  through  his  disciples,  of  whom  he  had  some 
three  thousand,  ten  of  whom  bore  much  the  same  rela- 
tion to  him  as  did  the  Twelve  Disciples  to  Christ. 

At  seventy-three  Confucius  died,  leaving  only  a grand- 
son to  perpetuate  his  famity  and  name,  which  in  China  is 
not  Confucius,  but  Kung;  Confucius  being  his  title, 


AJS^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


251 


Kung-fu-ts,  or  “The  teacher  Kung^”  as  Latinized  by  the 
Jesuit  missionaries.  The  descendants  of  Confucius  at 
present  number  about  forty  thousand. 

A correct  general  idea  of  the  system  and  teachings  of 
Confucius  may  be  obtained  from  the  Five  Relations, 
which  form  the  basis  of  them,  and  the  Five  Virtues, 
which  were  the  subject  of  his  most  frequent  conversa- 
tions. The  Five  Relations  are  those  subsisting  between 
emperor  and  officer,  father  and  son,  husband  and  wife, 
older  and  younger  brothers,  and  friends. 

The  duties  of  the  First  Relation,  between  emperor 
and  officer,  as  explained  by  Confucius,  form  the  founda- 
tion of  the  present  system  of  government  and  political 
economy  in  China. 

The  duties  of  the  Second  Relation,  between  father  and 
son,  are  in  some  instances  considered  paramount  to  all 
others.  Filial  piety  stands  first  in  the  category  of  human 
virtue,  and  by  Confucius  was  believed  to  form  the  basis 
of  all  good  government. 

Of  the  Third  Relation,  between  husband  and  wife, 
comparatively  little  is  said.  The  wife  is  required  to  yield 
strictest  obedience  to  her  husband  and  his  parents,  and 
has  no  higher  duty;  but  the  first  and  highest  duty  of  a 
man  is  to  his  parents  and  his  father’s  family,  because  a 
wife  can  be  replaced,  but  parents  and  brothers,  once 
dead,  can  have  no  substitute. 

The  duties  of  the  Fourth  Relation,  between  older  and 
younger  brothers,  requires  great  kindness  and  forbear- 
ance from  each,  and  the  respect  and  obedience  of  the 
younger  for  the  elder. 

In  teaching  the  duties  of  the  Fifth  Relation,  between 
friends,  Confucius  seems  to  have  had  much  of  the  spirit 


252 


THE  ORIENT 


of  the  Golden  Rule.  A paragraph  from  his  teachings 
shows  this.  He  says : “When  one  cultivates  to  the  utmost 
the  principles  of  his  nature,  and  exercises  them  on  the 
principle  of  reciprocity,  he  is  not  far  from  the  path. 
What  you  do  not  like  when  done  to  yourself,  do  not  to 
others.  In  the  way  of  the  superior  man  there  are  four 
things,  to  no  one  of  which  have  I as  yet  attained.  To 
serve  my  father  as  I would  require  my  son  to  serve  me ; 
to  this  I have  not  attained.  To  serve  my  prince  as  I 
would  require  my  minister  to  serve  me;  to  this  I have 
not  attained.  To  serve  my  elder  brother  as  I would 
require  my  younger  brother  to  serve  me ; to  this  I hav'e 
not  attained.  To  set  the  example  in  behaving  to  a 
friend  as  I would  require  him  to  behave  to  me;  to  this  I 
have  not  attained.” 

The  duties  of  these  relations  are  not  simply  given  as 
general  principles,  but  are  most  carefully  and  minutely 
explained,  and  numberless  forms  and  ceremonies  pre- 
scribed. 

The  Five  V^irtues  of  the  Confucian  system  are  Benev- 
olence, Righteousness,  Propriety,  Knowledge,  and  Faith. 

Of  Benevolence,  Confucius  had  a most  exalted  idea, 
and  considered  it  a rare  virtue.  The  following  is  his 
definition  of  it.  One  of  his  disciples  asked,  “Is  there  one 
word  which  may  serve  as  a rule  of  practice  for  all  one’s 
life  ?”  His  answer  was,  “What  you  do  not  want  done  to 
yourself,  do  not  do  to  others.” 

For  Righteousness,  there  is  no  code  of  laws,  but  the 
law  of  the  heart  and  conscience;  whatever  the  conscience 
says  is  right,  should  be  done. 

Propriety,  or  proper  demeanor  of  person,  is  supposed 
to  foster  and  develop  inner  virtue.  In  following  the 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


253 


teachings  and  rules  of  Confucius,  in  this  matter,  the 
Chinese  are  one  of  the  most  dignified,  formal,  and  polite 
peoples  of  the  earth. 

Knowledge  of  history  and  men  is  considered  indis- 
pensable to  rulers  especially. 

Faith,  or  truthfulness  and  sincerity  of  character,  the 
groundwork  of  faith,  is  especially  insisted  upon. 

A purely  religious  element  is  almost  entirely  wanting  in 
the  teachings  of  Confucius.  Of  the  gods  he  did  not  pro- 
fess to  know  enough  that  was  certain  to  enable  him  to 
teach  men  obedience  to  them.  Nor  does  he  teach  of  a 
future  life,  rewards  or  punishments ; they  were  received 
either  in  this  life,  or  visited  upon  posterity.  When 
asked  by  one  of  his  disciples  about  death,  his  sad  answer 
was,  “Imperfectly  acquainted  with  life,  how  can  I know 
of  death.” 

Though  imperfect,  the  teachings  of  Confucius  come 
nearer  to  truth  than  those  of  any  other  uninspired  writer. 
He  was  undoubtedly  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Ruler 
of  nations  to  lead  his  people  toward  the  light  of  Eternal 
Truth.  Of  the  imperfection  and  lack  of  spirituality  in 
his  teachings  he  was  aware,  and  taught  that  “in  the 
West  the  true  Saint  must  be  looked  for  and  found.” 

There  are  no  images  or  pictures  of  Confucius  in  his 
temples  for  worship.  The  offerings  are  made  before  a 
tablet,  upon  which  is  inscribed  his  name  and  greatness. 
Tablets  of  noted  scholars  and  officers  are  placed  in  the 
temples.  In  every  school  room  tablets  are  dedicated  to 
Confucius,  before  which  incense  is  kept  continually 
burning. 

Most  of  the  educated  class  are  quite  sincere  in  their 
adoration  of  Confucius,  and  are  willing  to  admit  the 


254 


THE  ORIENT 


folly  and  uselessness  of  idol  worship,  but  still  participate 
in  it,  either  because  of  law  or  custom.  The  common 
people  take  no  part  in  the  great  semi-annual  worship  of 
Confucius,  other  than  as  laughing,  talking,  jesting  spec- 
tators, enjoying  the  performance  much  as  they  might  a 
circus.  At  such  times  of  worship,  hundreds  of  dishes 
of  rice,  salt,  and  other  articles,  are  offered  to  Confucius. 
A missionary  who  was  watching  the  preparations  for  a 
grand  ceremony,  noticed  that  instead  of  filling  the  dishes 
and  jars  with  food,  layers  of  paper  were  carefully  pasted 
just  below  the  brim  of  the  vessels,  and  upon  this  a small 
quantit}"  of  the  lighter  and  dearer  articles  were  sprinkled. 
Some  one  asked  if  it  was  expected  that  Confucius  would 
be  deceived,  and  how  they  dared  trv  to  deceive  him ; a 
young  Chinaman  replied,  “ Y es,  it  will  answer  to  deceive 
Confucius,  but  it  will  not  answer  to  deceive  Jesus.” 

The  cold,  intellectual  morality  and  formalities  of  Con- 
fucius did  not  satisfy  the  religious  need  of  the  Chinese. 
They  wanted  a God  to  worship.  About  the  year  6o  of 
the  Christian  era,  the  Emperor  Ming-ti  sent  an  embassy 
to  the  West  to  seek  for  religious  teachers.  Some  sup- 
pose that  this  embassy  was  suggested  by  a dream,  and 
others  by  a saying  of  Confucius — “In  the  West  there  are 
great  sages.”  It  may  be  that  some  nimor  of  Him  who 
was  born  King  of  the  Jews  may  have  reached  Eastern 
Asia.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  name  of  the  monarch 
who  sat  upon  the  throne  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Christ 
was  Ping-ti,  which  means  emferor,  or  -prime  of  peace. 
The  commission  sent  to  the  West  were  instructed  to 
inquire  for  “a  Holy  One,”  that  was  to  appear,  and  this 
was  the  occasion  of  the  introduction  of  Buddhism  into 
China.  The  embassy,  reaching  India,  met  the  priests 


JJfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


255 


of  the  Buddhist  religion,  then  in  the  zenith  of  its  influ- 
ence there,  and  from  them  received  in  Sanskrit  the 
teachings  of  Sak3'amuni.  In  these,  the  ambassadors 
found  greater  spirituality  than  in  the  doctrines  of  Confu- 
cius, the  priest  asserted  that  in  Buddhism  a wa^"  of  salva- 
tion from  sin  was  declared,  they  saw  its  magnificent 
topes  and  cave  temples,  witnessed  its  imposing  ceremo- 
nies, and  returned  to  their  native  land  to  establish  among 
their  own  people  the  religion  of  Buddh. 

The  founder  of  Buddhism  was  Sakyamuni,  who  is 
supposed  to  have  lived  in  the  seventh  century  b.  c.  Bj^ 
a life  of  contemplation,  good  works,  and  austerities,  he 
reached  the  condition  of  Buddh,  or  that  of  “complete 
knowledge.”  Above  this  is  a higher  state,  called  Nir- 
vana, a state  of  absorbed  unconsciousness,  but  Buddha 
denied  himself  the  pleasure  of  such  a state,  for  the  benefit 
ot  the  human  race. 

“The  distinctive  characteristics  of  the  Buddhist  system 
are  a belief  in  a benevolent  deity,  associated  with  inferior 
ones,  whose  special  object  and  care  it  is  to  save  men 
from  sin  and  its  consequences,  and  also  the  doctrine  of 
transmigration  of  souls,  and  the  efficacy  of  good  works. 
In  accordance  with  these  doctrines,  the  religious  or  idol- 
atrous rites  of  Buddhism  consist  inpra^'ers  to  these  gods, 
works  of  merit  and  austerity,  and  provision  for  the  antici- 
pated wants  of  the  spirit  in  Hades,  and  also  for  the 
deceased  relatives  and  friends.” 

Buddhism,  as  taught  b^"  its  founder,  divested  of  the 
superstitions  and  fables  heaped  upon  it  by  its  subsequent 
teachers,  probably  more  nearly  approaches  the  spirit 
and  teachings  of  Christianity,  than  an}’-  other  of  the  relig- 
ions of  the  heathen  world.  Sakyamuni  had  the  broadest 


256 


THE  ORIENT 


charity  for  all  men  and  creatures.  He  says  in  so  many 
words,  “My  law  is  a law  of  grace  for  all.”  He  strove 
to  establish  a religion  that  should  aid  and  console  all 
hearts  and  all  nations,  for  all  time.  “He  also  tries  to 
guard  man  against  evil,  by  establishing  habits  of  chastity, 
temperance,  and  self  control.  He  goes  forward  into  the 
Christian  graces  of  patience,  and  humility,  and  forgive- 
ness of  injuries.  He  has  a horror  of  falsehood,  a rev- 
erence for  truth;  he  forbids  slander  and  gossip;  he 
teaches  respect  for  parents,  family,  life,  home. 

“Yet  Saint  Hilaire  declares  that  with  all  these  merits. 
Buddhism  has  not  been  able  to  found  a tolerable  social 
state,  or  a single  good  government.  It  failed  in  India, 
the  land  of  its  birth.  Nothing  like  the  progress  and 
the  development  of  Christian  civilization  appears  in 
Buddhism.  Something  in  the  heart  of  the  system, 
makes  it  sterile,  notwithstanding  its  excellent  intentions.” 

The  great  fault  of  Buddhism  lies  in  its  selfishness. 
Sakyamuni  taught  and  performed  austerities  to  make 
merit  for  himself,  to  become  Buddh,  and  at  last  to  attain 
to  Nirvana.  It  is  on  the  same  principle  that  his  followers 
act,  but  in  a vastly  more  restricted  sense  than  that  of 
their  noble-minded  leader.  If  a Buddhist  gives  alms,  it 
is  to  make  merit  for  himself;  if  he  removes  the  worm 
from  the  path,  that  it  may  not  be  destroyed,  it  is  to  make 
merit  for  himself;  if  he  picks  up  a bit  of  orange  peel,  that 
no  one  may  slip  on  it,  the  aim  of  his  act  is  to  make  merit 
for  himself,  to  save  his  own  soul,  rather  than  to  save  his 
neighbor  from  a fall;  long  prayers  and  austerities  are  to 
him  greater  duties  than  his  duty  to  his  neighbors,  family, 
or  country. 

The  temples  are  numerous,  costly,  and  imposing,  and 


Aim  ITS  PEOPLE, 


257 


are  usually  built  in  retired  spots  among  the  hills,  except- 
ing, of  course,  those  necessary  in  large  cities.  There 
are  a large  number  of  idols  in  each  temple,  there  being  no 
less  than  five  hundred  lesser  deities  demanding  attention. 
The  priests  usually  assume  their  vocation  when  quite 
young,  either  because  they  are  orphans,  or  because  their 
parents  are  unable  to  support  them.  They  are  universally 
detested  by  the  Chinese,  as  men  devoid  of  proper  feeling 
in  deserting  the  constant  relations  of  life,  still  they  are 
much  sought  after,  and  employed  to  officiate  in  religious 
ceremonies. 

The  manner  in  which  they  are  disesteemed  is  shown 
in  a custom  which  the  Chinese  have  of  consecrating  a 
son,  for  whose  life  they  are  very  solicitous,  to  the  office 
of  a Buddhist  priest,  in  order  to  secure  for  him  good 
health  and  long  life . It  is  not  necessary  that  he  should 
really  become  a priest,  but  they  call  him  “Buddhist 
priest,”  “beggar,”  “dirt,”  “refuse,”  supposing  that  the 
evil  spirits  will  be  deceived  as  to  his  real  value,  and 
allow  such  a worthless  mortal  a chance  for  life. 

The  priests  live  in  monasteries,  from  one  to  several 
hundreds  in  one  institution.  They  spend  their  time  in 
chanting  and  performing  ceremonies  in  temples  and 
private  houses,  and  begging.  Occasionally,  for  a con- 
sideration of  money,  they  obtain  merit  for  rich  men  who 
have  no  time  for  religious  services,  by  chanting  prayers 
and  meditation  for  them,  in  solitary  confinement. 
Women  are  the  chief  patrons  and  sustainers  of  the 
Buddhist  temples. 

Some  of  the  larger  temples  are  regarded  as  peculiarly 
sacred,  and  thousands  come  from  long  distances  every 
year,  to  worship  at  these  shrines.  The  worship  usually 


258 


THE  ORIENT 


consists  in  burning  candles  and  incense,  making  prostra- 
tions before  the  gods,  and  giving  a few  cask  to  the 
priests.  The  first  and  fifteenth  of  each  month  are  partic- 
ularly observed  as  days  of  worship,  though  any  day  will 
do.  The  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  monastic  system 
of  Buddhism  bears  so  strong  a resemblance  to  that  of 
the  Romish  church,  that  an  early  Portuguese  missionary 
to  China,  in  astonishment  and  disgust,  exclaimed,  “There 
is  not  a piece  of  dress,  not  a sacerdotal  function,  not  a 
ceremony  of  the  court  of  Rome,  which  the  devil  has  not 
copied  in  this  country.” 

Lao-tse  was  a contemporary  with  Confucius,  and 
founded  Tauism,  the  third  principal  religion  of  China. 
He  was  chief!}'  a thinker,  and  made  no  attempt  to  elevate 
the  people;  his  purpose  was  to  repress  the  passions,  and 
to  preserve  the  soul  in  perfect  equanimity.  To  retain 
its  hold  upon  the  people,  this  system  has  been  obliged 
to  change  its  form,  and  has  passed  from  philosophy  to 
superstition  and  the  grossest  idolatry. 

The  Dragon,  a prominent,  and  one  of  the  most  uni- 
versal objects  of  worship  among  the  Chinese,  is  usually 
classed  among  the  gods  of  Tauism.  It  is  said  that  the 
Dragon  once  consented  to  show  himself  in  his  own 
peculiar  form  to  a king,  provided  no  picture  should  he 
taken  of  him.  The  king,  however,  broke  his  promise, 
and  it  is  no  marvel  that  so  nondescript  a creature  should 
object  to  having  his  picture  taken,  since  he  possesses 
parts  of  the  camel,  deer,  rabbit,  cow,  snake,  frog,  carp, 
hawk,  and  tiger.  So  highly  do  the  Chinese  venerate 
the  Dragon  that  they  can  give  their  Emperor  no  greater 
honor  than  to  speak  of  him  as  seated  on  the  Dragon 
Throne,  his  coat  of  arms  is  the  dragon,  and  to  see  him 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


259 


is  to  see  the  dragon-face.  Pictures  of  the  dragon  are 
everywhere  seen;  his  domain  embraces  all  seas,  lakes, 
rivers,  and  ponds.  He  is  not  regarded  as  a fabulous 
animal,  but  as  a real  existence,  which  many  profess  to 
have  seen.  Beside  the  “Sea-dragon  King,”  there  are 
believed  to  be  innumerable  inferior  dragons.  Compet- 
itive examinations  are  supposed  to  be  held  among  the 
dragons,  corresponding  to  the  examinations  of  the  schol- 
ars. All  kinds  of  the  lesser  water  animals,  once  in 
three  years,  are  supposed  to  be  helped  on  their  way  to 
the  great  sea,  by  an  elevation  of  the  water  in  canals  and 
rivers.  One  particular  animal,  living  in  caves,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  helped  on  by  a flood,  and  so  popular  is  this 
belief,  that  proclamations  are  often  issued  by  the  govern- 
ment officers,  calling  upon  the  people  to  hunt  and  destroy 
these  animals,  to  avoid  the  destruction  which  they  occa- 
sion. In  times'  of  drouth,  any  reptile  which  may  be 
found  on  the  edge  of  a dragon  pool,  is  carried  in  great 
state  to  the  office  of  the  civil  magistrate,  who  is  required 
to  worship  it,  and  pray  for  rain,  supposing  the  snake, 
frog,  or  whatever  may  have  been  caught,  to  be  an 
assumed  body  of  the  dragon. 

The  “Three  Rulers”  of  Heaven,  Earth,  and  Sea,  are 
indispensable  gods  of  Tauism.  By  some  they  are  said 
to  have  been  three  brothers,  who,  on  account  of  their 
remarkable  lives,  became  gods,  others  say  that  Lao-tse, 
the  founder  of  this  religion,  in  one  breath  became  the 
“Three  Pure  Ones,”  which  Tauist  writers  describe  as 
a trinity  in  a unity.  Of  other  idols  belonging  to  this 
sect,  there  are  vast  numbers,  some  of  them  the  most 
popular  gods  in  China. 

The  temples  and  forms  of  worship  differ  but  little 


260 


THE  ORIENT 


from  those  of  Buddhism.  A small  class  of  Tauist  priests 
are  in  nearly  all  respects  like  the  Buddhist  priests,  and 
lead  a monastic  life.  A larger  and  more  respected  class 
of  Tauist  priests  live  like  the  common  people,  dressing, 
marrying,  and  frequently  engaging  in  business,  as  other 
men.  This  class  are  under  the  control  of  a head  man,  who 
is  a priest  himself,  and  is  appointed  to  his  office  by  the 
Emperor.  They  are  more  often  called  upon  to  per- 
form in  State  worship  and  in  families,  than  any  other 
class  of  priests,  but  their  temples  are  not  so  much  fre- 
quented, nor  is  so  much  money  spent  upon  them,  as  the 
Buddhist  priests  receive.  Tauism  is  a species  of  jugglery 
to  escape  the  evils  of  this  life,  offering  no  atonement  for 
sin,  or  preparation  for  a life  to  come. 

There  is  a form  of  State  worship  in  which  the  com- 
mon people  take  little  or  no  part,  nor  does  this  State 
religion  attempt  to  teach  them  any  particular  code  of 
morals  or  laws.  It  more  nearly  resembles  the  Tauist 
religion,  as  its  chief  object  is  to  avert  the  evils  and  secure 
the  benefits  of  this  life.  Deified  heroes,  and  gods  or 
spirits  who  are  supposed  to  exercise  a good  or  evil  influ- 
ence over  the  affairs  of  this  world,  are  the  principal 
objects  of  worship.  The  ceremonies  are  performed  by 
the  mandarins  and  high  officials  of  the  land,  many  of 
whom  have  no  confidence  or  interest  in  the  worship,  but 
law  and  ancient  custom  require  their  careful  observance. 

These  rites  are  extremely  formal  and  heartless,  as  the 
officers  performing  the  part  of  priests,  have  little  or  no 
faith  in  idol  worship.  Their  education  is  entirely  con- 
trary to  the  spirit  of  idol  worship;  one  of  the  Sacred 
Edicts,  which  they  are  obliged  to  commit  to  memory, 
being  a severe  satire  on  idolatry.  Their  reverence  for 


AI^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


261 


custom  and  law  requires  of  them  that  which  is  entirely 
opposed  to  their  good  sense. 

All  classes,  clans,  or  sects  of  the  Chinese  worship  the 
ancestral  tablets,  the  kitchen  god,  and  heaven  and  earth, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year. 

Concerning  the  soul,  the  Chinese  believe  that  each 
man  possesses  three  souls,  one  of  which  goes  to  the 
judgment,  another  resides  in  the  tablet,  and  the  third  in 
the  tomb.  Of  the  final  fate  of  these  souls,  there  is  no 
uniform  opinion.  Transmigration  is  largely  believed  in, 
but  not  until  after  many  changes  have  befallen  the  spirit. 


262 


THE  ORIENT 


EDUCATION  AND  LITERATURE  IN  CHINA. 

One  of  the  chief  inducements  for  a Chinese  to  become 
a literary  man,  is  the  hope  that  he  may  be  able  to  obtain 
government  offices.  Not  only  are  these  offices  lucrative, 
but  the  respect  for  literary  men  is  very  great,  a respect 
which  is  constantly  accorded  to  them,  as  their  prescribed 
dress  denotes  their  rank  and  degree  of  learning.  This 
respect  is  justly  given,  as  the  studies  require  long  and 
close  application,  and  comparatively  few  of  the  millions 
who  elect  a literary  life,  are  able  to  reach  the  higher 
grades  or  offices. 

The  only  course  of  study  open,  or  of  value  to  one 
desiring  office,  is  a classical  and  historical  one,  prescribed 
by  law,  and  in  following  this,  lies  the  only  hope  of  gaining 
office.  Whatever  may  be  a man’s  relationships,  or 
whatever  his  wealth  or  influence,  it  is  almost  impossible 
for  him  to  get  office  without  the  necessary  learning. 

One  of  the  favorite  maxims  of  the  Chinese  is,  “By 
learning,  the  sons  of  the  poor  become  great,  without 
learning,  the  sons  of  the  great  are  mixed  with  the  com- 
mon people.” 

With  few  exceptions,  the  competitive  examinations, 
and  consequently  the  highest  offices  of  the  land,  aix 
open  to  the  sons  of  all.  For  three  generations,  the  sons 
of  public  play  actors,  prostitutes,  executioners,  the  lower 
servants  of  the  mandarins,  and  the  sons  of  jailors,  are 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


263 


excluded.  However  intelligent  or  well  educated  such 
persons  ma}'  be,  they  are  supposed  to  have  inherited  low, 
coarse  natures,  that  unfit  them  to  be  entrusted  with  pub- 
lic offices. 

No  person  can  present  himself  as  a candidate  at  the 
examinations,  during  the  three  years  of  mourning  for  a 
parent.  If  a man  who  had  already  attained  a “degree” 
should  present  himself  at  the  examination  during  the 
time  of  mourning,  he  would  lose  his  rank.  Literary 
competition  is  considered  incompatible  with  sincere 
mourning  for  a parent.  The  Chinese  regard  filial  duty 
as  the  highest  of  all  duties,  as  the  foundation  of  all  virtue ; 
more  important  than  any  state  services.  When  a man’s 
parent  dies,  whatever  be  his  rank  or  official  duties,  he 
must  at  once  memorialize  the  Emperor,  and  ask  for 
three  years  leave  to  mourn  the  dead.  He  does  not  wait 
for  an  answer,  but  takes  his  leave,  and  if  he  did  not  do 
so,  would  lose  the  respect  of  the  people  and  the  esteem 
of  the  government. 

In  the  larger  cities,  schools  are  established  by  govern- 
ment, and  in  many  places  free  schools  are  supported  by 
wealthy  individuals,  but  as  only  the  very  poorest  attend 
these,  they  are  neither  popular  nor  ffourishing. 

“The  furniture  of  a school  merely  consists  of  a desk 
and  a stool  for  each  pupil,  and  an  elevated  seat  for  the 
master.  Upon  each  desk  are  implements  for  writing, 
and  a few  books.  In  one  corner  is  placed  a tablet  or  an 
inscription  on  the  wall,  dedicated  to  Confucius,  and  the 
god  of  Letters.  The  sage  is  called  the  ‘Teacher  and 
Pattern  for  all  Ages,’  and  incense  is  continually  burned 
in  honor  of  them  both.  A mat  shed,  which  barely  pro- 
tects from  the  weather,  the  low,  hot,  upper  attic  of  a 


264 


THE  ORIENT 


shop,  a back  room  in  a temple,  and  occasionally  a house 
built  for  the  purpose,  answers  for  a school  room.”  The 
majority  of  teachers  are  unsuccessful  candidates  for  liter- 
ary degrees,  who  are  often  men  of  more  learning  than 
their  more  fortunate  brethren,  but  were  not  so  ready  in 
oft-hand  composition,  or  lacked  money  or  influence.  The 
teachers  receive  from  three  to  twelve  dollars  a year,  for 
each  scholar  in  school,  according  to  varying  circum- 
stances. Many  families  hire  private  tutors,  pa}dng  from 
$150  to  $350  per  annum. 

School  opens  at  sunrise.  At  ten  A.  M.,  the  boys  go  to 
breakfast,  and  in  an  hour  reassemble,  to  study  until  five 
o’clock.  The  scholars  all  study  aloud,  oftentimes  shout- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices.  If  thev  flag  at  all,  the 
teacher  has  a bamboo  within  easy  reach.  Bamboos  are 
considered  as  one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  furni- 
ture in  a Chinese  school. 

When  a boy  comes  into  school,  he  salutes  the  tablet  ot 
Confucius,  and  then  his  teacher.  There  are  no  vacations 
during  the  year,  except  at  New  Years;  there  are,  how- 
ever, several  holidays,  which  are  all  the  more  necessary 
in  a land  without  the  rest  of  the  Sabbath. 

“There  is  no  occasion  for  the  complaint,  so  often  heard 
with  us,  that  the  teacher  wishes  to  introduce  a new  book, 
for  theirs  are  nearly  two  thousand  years  old,  and  few 
have  anv  idea  of  their  being  changed  for  the  next  two 
thousand  years.  These  books  are  all  written  in  the  book 
language,  as  diflerent  from  the  vernacular  as  Latin  is 
from  English.”  Every  word  in  this  written  language 
has  its  independent  svmbol.  When  a boy  enters  sehool, 
a classic  is  put  into  his  hands;  the  teacher  reads  ovei  a 
few  lines,  which  the  boy  repeats  until  he  can  do  so  cor- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


265 


rectly.  The  writing  and  reading  lessons  are  the  same, 
and  both  are  continued  for  a year  or  two,  until  the  forms 
and  sounds  of  a few  thousand  characters  are  made  famil- 
iar, but  no  particular  effort  is  made  to  teach  their  mean- 
ings. After  this,  the  teacher  goes  over  the  same  groiind, 
explaining  the  meaning. 

No  arithmetic,  geography,  natural  history,  science,  or 
foreign  languages,  are  introduced  in  the  schools.  The 
knowledge  of  figures  and  letter  writing  must  be  learned 
in  shops  and  counting  houses. 

There  are  several  government  colleges,  in  which  the 
classics  are  still  further  studied.  Composition  in  prose 
and  verse,  on  themes  selected  from  the  thirteen  works 
called  “Chinese  classics,”  are  regularly  required.  Nothing 
outside  of  the  classics  and  the  ability  to  compose  and 
write  rapidly,  is  considered  necessary  for  a complete 
Chinese  education.  “The  Chinese  system  of  education, 
while  it  develops  and  stores  the  memory  to  an  unprece- 
dented extent,  discourages  and  precludes  all  freedom  of 
thought  and  originality.” 

The  respect  which  the  Chinese  have  for  literature  is 
shown  in  a curious  custom  that  everywhere  prevails  in 
China.  They  collect  and  burn  every  scrap  of  printed  or 
written  paper,  and  send  the  ashes  out  in  junks  to  the 
sea,  where  they  are  thrown  overboard.  Individuals, 
families  and  societies,  all  seek  merit  m this  way.  The 
merit  consists  in  keeping  the  extravagantly  revered 
Chinese  character  from  being  trampled  upon  and  mingled 
with  refuse.  “A  leaf  from  a Ciassic  or  a vulgar  song 
book,  the  proclamation  o an  officer,  or  a schoolboy’s 
copy,  are  alike  regarded.  In  school  rooms,  shops,  pri- 
vate residences,  and  sometimes  by  the  roadsides,  baskets 


26(3 


THE  ORIENT 


or  boxes  (3esigne(i  for  the  reception  of  these  revered 
scraps  are  placed,  bearing  the  inscription,  ‘Respect 
printed  paper.’  ” Men  are  hired  to  go  about  the  streets 
and  collect  every  scrap  they  can  find.  In  this  custom  we 
see  one  of  the  principal  reasons  why  Christian  books, 
distributed  by  missionaries,  are  so  carefully  preserved 
and  respectfully  treated.  “Few  things  excite  the  feel- 
ings and  prejudices  of  the  Chinese,  or  produce  a more 
unfavorable  impression  with  regard  to  foreigners,  than 
the  manner  with  which  they  treat  useless  printed  paper.” 

This  singular  notion  has  been  carried  to  such  an  extent, 
that  within  a few  years,  the  ornamentation  of  crockery 
with  characters  has  been  largely  prohibited. 

According  to  theory,  every  civil  officer  in  China  must 
be  a literary  graduate  of  the  second  or  third  degree. 
Before  striving  for  the  first  degree,  it  is  necessary  to  pass 
two  lower  examinations.  These  are  held  annually. 
The  examinations  for  the  first  degree  are  still  more 
strict.  Each  person  is  placed  in  a separate  apartment, 
and  are  even  searched  before  entering  their  cells,  to  see 
that  they  have  neither  books  or  papers  concealed  about 
them.  They  are  then  supplied  with  writing  materials, 
and  themes  selected  from  the  classics,  to  try  their  skill  in 
composition,  both  in  prose  and  verse.  Of  the  thousand 
or  more  from  each  district,  not  more  than  ten  in  a 
thousand  receive  the  degree. 

The  trial  for  the  second  degree  takes  place  once  in 
three  years,  in  all  the  provincial  capitals.  There  are 
usually  from  5,000  to  8,000  present  at  one  of  these  exam- 
inations, and  as  not  many  more  than  one  in  one  hundred 
and  forty  can  receive  the  degree,  the  emulation  and 
excitement  are  of  course  very  great.  If  but  one  word  of 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


267 


a composition  is  written  wrong — no  corrections  or  erasures 
are  allowed — it  is  thrown  aside. 

The  examination  for  the  third  degree  occurs  once  in 
three  years,  in  Peking.  Not  more  than  three  hundred 
of  the  ten  thousand  candidates,  receive  the  coveted  honor. 
These  three  hundred  are  again  examined  in  the  presence 
ot  the  Emperor,  and  a few  are  chosen  to  fill  the  vacan- 
cies in  the  Hanlin  College,  from  which  the  ministers  and 
high  officers  of  state  are  usually  appointed. 

The  Hanlin  College  is  the  goal  of  every  Chinese  boy’s 
ambition,  in  much  the  same  way  that  every  American 
boy  looks  forward  to  the  possible  Presidency. 

These  examinations  are  conducted  with  a surprising 
amount  of  carefulness,  to  prevent  frauds  and  unfairness. 
It  is  only  by  the  expenditure  of  hundreds,  or  thousands 
of  dollars,  the  most  painstaking  duplicity,  and  the  risk 
of  losing  previous  honors,  that  a man  can  get  through 
by  other  than  legitimate  means. 

The  Chinese  have  many  little  stories  which  they  recite 
to  their  children,  to  encourage  them  to  lead  literary  lives, 
and  thus  acquire  distinction  and  fat  offices. 

Filial  piety  is  also  inculcated,  in  numberless  anecdotes 
for  children,  and  many  of  these  stories  might  with  much 
benefit,  be  read  to  lazy  or  undutiful  children  in  Christian 
lands. 

The  education  of  women  is  looked  upon  with  consid- 
erable favor.  Parents  of  wealth  and  rank  take  great 
pride  in  the  accomplishments  of  their  daughters.  Music, 
poetry,  composition,  and  the  classics,  complete  the  list  oi 
studies,  but  it  would  not  be  considered  at  all  proper  to 
cultivate  these  at  the  expense  of  the  more  domestic 
arts.  Literary  ladies  are  highl}'  respected,  and  the  list 


268 


THE  ORIENT 


of  Chinese  authoresses  is  quite  a long  one.  Considering 
the  great  labor  it  is  to  learn  to  read  and  write  in  the 
Chinese  language,  and  also  that  women  are  deprived  of 
the  stimulus  of  the  examinations,  it  is  somewhat  sur- 
prising that  even  a little  education  is  found  among  them. 
The  esteem  in  which  educated  women  are  held  is 
encouraging  to  missionary  effort  among  them,  as  it  is 
not  necessar}'  to  overcome  prejudice  as  well  as  ignorance. 

In  the  days  of  Confucius,  500  b.  c.,  pieces  of  bamboo, 
pared  thin,  leaves,  and  reeds,  were  all  used  for  writing 
upon,  with  a sharp  stick  or  stylus.  About  the  third  cen- 
tury B.  c.,  silk  and  cloth  were  employed,  and  hair  pen- 
cils, such  as  are  still  in  use.  Paper  made  from  bamboo, 
was  invented  about  the  first  century,  India  ink  came  into 
use  during  the  seventh,  and  the  present  mode  of  printing 
upon  blocks  was  discovered  in  the  tenth  century,  five 
hundred  years  before  printing  was  discovered  in  Europe. 

Books  in  China  are  cheap  and  plent}’.  They  are 
hawked  about  the  streets,  circulating  libraries  are  carried 
from  house  to  house,  upon  movable  stands,  and  book- 
sellers’ shops  are  frequent  in  large  towns. 

‘•The  paper  used  for  printing  books,  being  thin  and 
transparent,  is  only  impressed  on  one  side,  and  folded,  so 
that  every  leaf  is  double,  with  the  edge  uncut.  Books 
are  not  bound,  like  ours,  but  every  work  is  divided  into 
a number  of  separate  parts,  with  strong  paper  covers. 
The  parts  in  this  shape  are  placed  all  together,  loosely, 
in  a square  case  or  envelope.”  The  books  are  almost 
wholly  those  of  native  authors.  The  most  ancient  are 
those  most  valued.  But  very  many  are  seen  in  the  shops, 
on  medicine,  agriculture,  the  language,  religion,  and 
poetical  subjects;  novels  are  very  abundant,  and  theatri- 


Ayu  ITS  PEOPLE. 


269 


cal  plays,  of  which  some  are  well  written  and  interesting. 

The  classics,  the  foundation  of  all  Chinese  learning, 
are  mainly  the  writings  of  Confucius  and  Mencius,  his 
disciple.  They  teach  history,  morality,  manners,  and 
filial  duty.  The  immortality  of  the  soul  and  the  wor- 
ship of  God,  is  not  taught,  neither  is  the  worship  of  idols 
taught.  These  works  are  remarkably  pure  and  chaste 
in  tone,  and  little  or  nothing  can  be  found  in  the  writings 
which  are  most  highly  prized,  that  could  not  be  read 
aloud  in  any  Christian  family  circle. 

The  Historical  Writings  of  China  are  many  and  volu- 
minous. Biographies  of  distinguished  men  and  women 
are  numerous,  and  their  preparation  forms  a favorite 
branch  of  literary  labor.  Among  the  translations  oi 
some  of  these  works  are  found  many  curious  and  inter- 
esting chapters. 

For  the  last  two  hundred  years,  a book  called  the 
“Sacred  Edicts,”  by  the  Emperor  Kang-hi,  has  exerted 
a great  influence  upon  the  people  of  China.  It  is  a col- 
lection of  discourses  upon  practical  subjects,  each  headed 
by  a suitable  proverb  or  text.  They  are  sixteen  in  num- 
ber, each  a few  pages  in  length,  and  written  in  a pleasing 
style.  It  is  by  law  required  that  these  be  read  through- 
out the  empire  by  the  local  officers  twice  a month,  in  a 
haU  set  apart  for  the  purpose,  but  at  present  this  preach- 
ing is  neglected,  except  in  large  towns.  At  the  great 
examinations,  the  candidates  are  required  to  write  por- 
tions of  the  Sacred  Edicts  from  memory.  The  Sacr'ed 
Edicts  inculcate  respect  of  parents,  industry,  learning, 
morality,  and  obedience  to  the  laws.  One  chapter 
speaks  in  the  most  scornful  and  decided  manner  against 
the  Buddhist  and  Tauist  religions,  and  worship  of  idols. 


270 


THE  ORTEXT 


Poetry  forms  a large  part  of  Chinese  literature,  proba- 
bly from  the  fact  that  every  student  must  tiy  his  hand  at 
poetry  in  the  examinations.  The  rhymesters,  however, 
exceed  the  poets,  and  “it  is  quite  as  easy  for  them  to 
write  a sonnet  on  shipping  a cargo  of  tea,  as  to  indite  a 
love-epistle  to  their  mistress.” 

Chinese  novels  usually  have  some  kind  of  a plot,  a 
favorite  one  being  of  the  old  stor}’  of  true  love,  whose 
course  runs  not  more  smoothly  in  China  than  elsewhere. 
The  hero  is  general!}'  a young  academician,  amiable 
and  studious,  who  meets  no  end  of  difficulty  in  obtaining 
the  literary  honors  he  seeks.  “The  young  heroine  is  also 
well  acquainted  with  letters,  her  own  inclinations,  and 
her  father’s  desires,  are,  that  she  may  find  a man  of  suit- 
able accomplishments  for  a husband,  but  after  having 
heard  of  one,  every  sort  of  difficulty  arises,  which,  of 
course,  on  the  part  of  both  are  happily  surmounted.” 

In  all  the  Chinese  literature,  there  are  no  works  on  the 
geography,  languages,  inhabitants,  history,  or  govern- 
ments of  other  countries.  Works  on  natural  history, 
medicine,  and  physiology,  are  few  and  useless,  while 
those  on  mathematics,  and  the  exact  sciences,  are  of 
small  account. 

The  following  are  a few  of  the  proverbs  of  the  Chi- 
nese, given  by  Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams,  in  his  valuable 
work,  “The  Middle  Kingdom:” 

“Human  joys  are  like  the  skippings  of  a sparrow.” 
“To  climb  a tree  to  catch  a fish,  is  to  talk  much  and 
get  nothing. 

“Vast  chasms  may  be  filled,  but  the  heart  of  man  is 
never  satisfied. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


271 


“A  gun  is  not  polished  without  rubbing,  nor  is  a man 
perfected  without  trials. 

“Let  every  man  sweep  the  snow  from  before  his  own 
doors,  and  not  trouble  himself  about  the  hoar  frost  on 
his  neighbor’s  tiles. 

“If  you  love  }^our  son,  give  him  plenty  of  the  cudgel; 
if  you  hate  him,  cram  him  with  dainties. 

“To  sue  a flea  and  catch  a bite; — the  results  of  litiga- 
tion. 

“The  fame  of  good  deeds  does  not  leave  a man’s  door, 
but  evil  deeds  are  known  a thousand  miles  ofl'.” 


272 


THE  ORIENT 


CURIOUS  CUSTOMS  IN  CHINA. 

In  the  Chinese  Classics,  government  or  practice,  there 
IS  no  virtue  so  much  insisted  upon,  or  considered  of  such 
importance,  as  respect  and  politeness  to  parents  and  the 
aged.  Filial  piety  is  considered  to  be  the  foundation  of 
all  good  government,  and  every  Chinaman’s  duty  to  his 
parents  is  paramount  to  his  obligation  to  the  state. 
Upon  the  death  of  a parent,  the  son,  if  an  officer  of  state, 
is  expected  to  resign  his  office  and  mourn  for  his  parent 
during  three  years.  The  higher  his  office,  the  more 
imperative  his  duty.  If  a son  by  his  talents  attains  rank 
and  titles,  he  is  required  to  request  from  the  Emperor  a 
higher  title  for  his  parents,  even  though  they  may  be 
deceased. 

Every  young  man  is  required  by  law  to  maintain  his 
aged  parents,  and  there  is  a law  which  spares  the  life  of 
a criminal,  condemned  to  death,  if  there  is  no  other  son 
or  grandson,  over  the  age  of  sixteen,  to  work  for  them. 

To  the  Chinese,  the  promise  connected  with  the  com- 
mand to  honor  father  and  mother,  has  been  most  amply 
fulfilled.  Nations  great,  powerful,  and  glorious,  have 
risen,  flourished,  decayed,  and  fallen ; their  people  have 
been  scattered  throughout  the  earth,  and  yet  their 
history  and  existence  has  been  but  as  a day  to  the  hoary 
antiquity  of  the  Chinese. 

. Politeness  is  one  of  the  most  elaborate  and  pleasing 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


273 


accomplishments  of  the  Chinese.  The  first  care  of  a 
father  is  to  teach  his  son  the  language  of  respect  toward 
kindred  and  superiors.  Even  in  the  crowded  streets,  and 
among  the  thronging  boatmen  upon  the  rivers,  politeness 
and  good  temper  is  the  rule.  The  rules  of  politeness  are 
as  carefully  studied  in  the  schools  in  China,  as  grammar 
is  in  those  of  the  West.  When  a number  of  individuals 
are  walking  together,  their  age  or  rank  may  be  inferred 
from  the  order  in  which  they  unconsciously  range  them- 
selves. The  bearing  of  literary  men  is  very  dignified 
and  measured.  When  a visitor  leaves  his  friend’s  house, 
he  must  back  out,  begging  his  host  not  to  be  at  the 
trouble  of  accompanying  him  to  the  door,  while  the  host 
is  far  too  polite  to  do  otherwise. 

Mr.  Nevius  says,  “This  excessive  politeness  is  noticed 
in  the  language,  as  well  as  in  the  manners  of  the  people,” 
and  gives  some  phrases  illustrating  it.  In  asking  a friend 
his  place  of  residence,  though  it  may  be  known  that  he 
is  very  poor,  it  is  necessary  to  ask,  “Where  is  your  hon- 
orable mansion.^”  and  he  replies,  “My  hut,”  or  “hovel,” 
is  in  such  a place.  The  wealthy  answer  in  the  same 
manner.  The  following,  and  a great  variety  of  similar 
expressions,  are  constantly  heard:  “What  is  your  honor- 
able age  ?”  “My  empty”  or  “worthless  number  is  forty- 
five.”  “Is  your  honorable  wife  living  ?”  “The  mean 
person  of  the  inner  apartment  is  still  in  life.”  “Is  your 
noble  son  doing  well  at  school  ?”  “The  contemptible 
little  dog  has  learned  a few  characters.”  “Indeed,  you 
are  too  polite  and  deferential.”  “I  dare  not  presume  to 
claim  such  a reputation.” 

Two  officials,  upon  accidentally  meeting,  often  do  not 
notice  each  other,  rather  than  spend  the  time  necessary  for 


274 


THE  OEIEET 


the  bowings  and  compliments  required  upon  recognition. 

It  is  rather  curious,  that,  among  the  personal  decora- 
tions of  the  Chinese,  there  is  none  that  they  prize  more 
than  the  plaited  queue.  Over  two  hundred  years  ago, 
when  the  Tartars  invaded  China,  and  seized  the  govern- 
ment, they  obliged  the  Chinese  to  wear  the  queue  as  a 
sign  of  dependence.  Many  of  the  Chinese  at  that  time 
gave  their  heads  to  the  executioner,  rather  than  to  the 
barber.  The  Tartar  rulers  made  the  lack  of  the  queue 
a sign  of  the  lowest  crimes,  and  thus  firmly  established 
the  present  fashion  of  wearing  the  hair  among  the  men. 

The  wearing  of  a summer  or  winter  cap  is  regulated 
by  law.  The  summer  cap  is  extremely  light,  the  winter 
cap  is  of  satin,  with  a wide  brim  of  velvet,  turned  up  aU 
around.  At  the  proper  season,  the  Board  of  Rites 
announce  in  the  Government  Gazette,  that  the  viceroy 
of  the  province  has  changed  his  cap,  when  the  manda- 
rins and  officers  at  once  follow  his  example.  Yellow  is 
a royal  color,  and  none  but  those  nearly  related  to  the 
Emperor  are  allowed  to  wear  it. 

White  is  the  color  worn  for  mourning,  and  the  Chinese 
refuse  to  wear  it  under  any  other  circumstances.  Wid- 
owers have  a curious  fashion  of  wearing  their  weeds 
sometimes  after  a subsequent  marriage.  If  a man  takes 
another  wife  shortly  after  the  decease  of  the  previous 
one,  and  before  the  set  days  of  mourning  for  her  are 
passed,  he  lays  aside  his  white  mourning  girdle  only  for 
a few  days,  during  his  marriage  festivities,  to  resume 
it  again,  until  the  appointed  time  of  grief  for  his  first 
love  has  elapsed. 

The  Chinaman’s  diet  presents  some  strange  contrasts 
to  our  own.  They  are  particularly  fond  of  good  living. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


275 


No  one  can  make  the  least  claim  to  a fine  personal  appear- 
ance, unless  they  show  that  they  have  been  well  fed. 
When  they  entertain  their  friends  to  dinner,  some  fifty, 
sixty,  or  more  courses  are  provided,  each  dish  being 
partaken  of  separately,  and  a very  long  time  spent  over  it. 
Beef  and  butter  is  never  eaten  by  the  Chinese,  milk  is 
only  used  occasionally,  and  then  in  the  form  of  curds. 
Chinese  cooks  can  scarce  repress  their  disgust,  when 
obliged  to  keep  for  their  foreign  masters’ use,  the  “yellow 
scum”  that  rises  upon  milk.  Amissionary  lady  tells  oi 
a native  preacher’s  wife,  who  was  almost  persuaded  to 
be  a Christian ; she  was  willing  to  bear  all  the  crosses 
and  losses,  but  could  not  make  up  her  mind  to  eat  butter, 
as  her  heathen  friends  told  her  she  would  be  required  to 
do  if  she  joined  the  Christians.  The  Celestial  nose  goes 
quite  as  high  over  our  barbarian  custom  of  using  milk, 
butter,  and  cheese,  as  do  our  noses  at  the  mention  of 
Chinese  delicacies;  as,  for  instance,  nicely  fattened  cat 
meat.  Vegetable  oils,  made  from  pea-nuts,  the  tallow 
tree,  and  other  plants,  are  -very  bountifully  used  by  them 
in  the  preparation  of  food,  and  renders  their  dishes  quite 
unpalatable  to  foreign  taste,  though  otherwise,  as  are  the 
majority  of  Chinese  foods,  they  would  be  entirely  accept- 
able. 

A kind  of  light  wine,  made  of  rice,  and  taken  hot,  is 
used  in  very  small  quantities  at  dinner.  Drunkenness  is 
almost  unknown  in  China. 

Opium  smoking  is  the  form  of  intemperance  that  is 
working  death  and  ruin  among  the  Chinese.  They 
know  perfectly  well  its  evil  influences,  they  know  that  if 
they  take  it  regularly,  in  three  weeks,  or  two  months,  at 
the  most,  they  are  its  slaves,  and  yet,  by  some  strange 


276 


THE  ORIENT 


infatuation,  thousands  every  year  begin  its  use.  Some 
learn  to  like  it  by  taking  it  in  order  to  cure  toothache, 
headache,  or  dyspepsia;  others  become  bound  to  it  b}' 
the  fashion  of  “treating”  with  opium.  Many  families 
keep  the  opium-pipe  and  fixtures  ready  for  the  demands 
of  fashion,  and  man\^  classes  of  persons,  when  called  to 
a house  on  business,  refuse  to  act  until  they  have  been 
served  with  opium. 

China  is  one  of  the  most  highh'  and  carefully  cultiva- 
ted countries  of  the  world,  yet  the  agricultural  imple- 
ments are  of  the  simplest  and  most  primitive  character. 
The  plow,  harrow,  hoe,  and  sickle,  comprise  the  list  of  a 
farmer’s  tools,  and  they  are  of  the  same  pattern  as 
those  used  a thousand  years  ago.  The  plow  is  usually 
drawn  by  water  buffaloes,  but  sometimes  men,  and  even 
women,  are  attached.  In  the  present  overcrowded  state 
of  the  country',  the  introduction  of  better  or  more  numer- 
ous farm  implements  would  not  be  beneficial,  nor  profit- 
able. Human  labor,  however  tedioush’  performed,  is 
cheaper  than  the  interest  on  expensive  machines,  and  in 
a country  where  every  possible  industry  scarce  affbrds 
bread  to  its  teeming  millions,  it  would  be  disastrous  to 
the  peace  of  the  land  to  introduce  labor-saving  machinery. 
Two  or  three  crops  of  grain  and  vegetables  are  taken 
from  one  piece  of  land  in  a vear.  When  it  is  necessary 
to  carr}’  grain  from  one  part  of  the  field  to  another,  two 
large  bundles  are  fastened  to  either  end  of  a pole,  and 
carried  on  a man’s  shoulder.  Farm  carts  are  seldom 
used.  The  grain  is  threshed  bv  beating  it,  a handful  at 
a time,  upon  a frame  of  slats,  or  with  flails,  on  the  hard 
ground.  It  is  winnowed  by  throwing  it  up  against  the 
wind,  or  by  a rude  fanning-mill. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


277 


There  are  no  fences,  walls,  or  hedges  dividing  the 
fields.  Boundaries  are  defined  by  a narrow,  raised  path- 
way. Cattle  are  herded  by  boys  or  girls.  Hay  is  never 
made.  Horses  are  not  kept  by  the  farmers,  and  cattle 
are  only  kept  as  beasts  of  burden.  Light,  portable 
chain  pumps,  and  large,  but  light,  bamboo  water  wheels 
are  used  for  irrigation,  which  is  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant parts  of  agriculture  in  China. 

In  the  spring,  two  ceremonies  of  “plowing  the  field,” 
and  “exhorting  the  farmers,”  are  performed  to  encourage 
and  give  dignity  to  husbandry.  The  Emperor,  or  his 
delegate,  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony,  plows  a few 
furrows,  and  sows  five  sorts  of  grain.  The  high  manda- 
rins of  each  province,  on  the  same  day,  must  observe  the 
same  rites,  after  which  they  mount  a gaily  ornamented 
platform,  and  exhort  the  farmers  to  the  careful  cultiva- 
tion of  their  fields.  At  the  close  of  the  address,  coarse 
fans  and  common  hats,  and  sometimes  a silver  medal,  are 
presented  to  some  of  the  farmers. 

China,  like  all  old  and  densely  populated  countries,  has 
its  full  share  of  beggars,  who,  in  daring  and  importunity, 
are  unrivalled.  They  frequently  take  their  position  in 
front  of  a store,  and  scream,  pound  the  floor  with  their 
sticks,  or  beat  a gong,  until  the  shop-keeper,  in  very 
self-defense,  gives  the  required  cash,  when  the  beggar 
goes  on  his  wa}',  to  vex  some  one  else.  In  each  city 
there  are  several  head  men,  or  kings  of  the  beggars, 
to  whom  they  are  subject.  Merchants  and  business  men, 
for  a sum  of  money — from  two  to  twenty  or  thirty  dol- 
lars a year,  make  an  agreement  with  the  beggar  king 
that  they  shall  not  be  annoyed  by  the  beggars.  He 
receives  a strip  of  red  paper,  on  which  is  a sentence  to 


278 


THE  ORIENT 


the  effect  that  “the  brethren  must  not  come  here  to  dis- 
turb and  annoy.”  If  a beggar  comes  to  the  door,  the 
merchant  has  but  to  point  to  his  strip  of  red  paper,  which 
is  kept  pasted  up  in  a conspicuous  position,  when  the 
beggar  must  leave.  The  beggars  often  interfere  with 
the  burial  of  the  dead,  or  the  annual  sacrifice  to  the  dea.l, 
and  will  not  allow'  the  ceremonies  to  proceed  until  they 
have  received  a liberal  present. 

Theaters  are  very  common  in  China,  but  are  without 
buildings  built  expressly  for  the  purpose,  scenery,  drop 
curtain,  or  foot  lights.  They  are  a necessary  part  of 
many  religious  ceremonies,  in  order  to  propitiate  the  god 
or  spirits  w'orshipped.  Temples  of  ever}'  kind  have 
stages  erected  in  front  of  the  gods  designed  solely  for 
theatrical  purposes.  Wealthy  families  frequently  have 
platforms  for  play-acting  erected  in  the  court-yards,  and 
merchants  often  place  a platform  across  the  street,  in 
front  of  their  shops,  the  floor  being  sufflciently  high  to 
allow  people  to  pass  under  it.  Upon  this,  theatricals  are 
performed,  for  the  benefit  of  the  shop-keeper.  Women 
are  almost  never  seen  upon  the  stage.  Young  boys  act 
their  part.  The  plays  are  performed  in  a very  animated 
stvle,  and  the  dresses  are  often  exceedingly  grotesque, 
and  sometimes  very  gorgeous.  Vulgar  and  immoral 
plays  are  comparatively  rare. 

The  great  gravity  of  manner,  unflinching  industry, 
and  the  unbounded  self-complacency  of  the  Chinese,  have 
led  Westerners  to  regard  them  as  a stolid  people,  but  in 
their  festivals,  sports,  and  pastimes,  they  show  no  lack  of 
vivacity.  Fire-works  and  fire-crackers  are  used  on  every 
possible  occasion  in  China,  and  flash,  and  crack,  and 
fizzle  trom  year’s  end  to  year’s  end.  No  one  ever  thinks 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


279 


of  firing  a single  cracker,  but  always  a pack,  or  more. 
Gambling  is  pursued  with  ruinous  zeal.  Athletic  sports 
are  undignified,  hence  little  followed,  but  a most  animated 
game  of  battledoor  and  shuttlecock  is  played,  the  soles 
of  the  feet  being  used  as  battledoors.  Kite  flying  is  a 
favorite  pastime  of  the  Chinese.  The  kites  are  made  in 
many  fantastic  shapes,  representing  birds,  butterflies, 
fishes,  and  other  animals.  They  often  try  their  skill  in 
bringing  down  each  other’s  kites,  in  imitation  of  hawking. 
On  the  ninth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  everybody  takes  a 
holiday  for  kite  flying. 

The  Feast  of  Lanterns  is  the  occasion  of  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  spectacles  in  China.  On  the  fifteenth  day 
of  the  first  month,  every  city,  village,  and  hamlet  in  the 
country,  is  splendidly  illuminated  with  lanterns  of  many 
beautiful  and  curious  forms.  Every  house,  from  the  pal- 
ace to  the  hut,  is  brilliantly  lighted.  Many  of  the  lan- 
terns represent  moving  figures,  such  as  horsemen  gal- 
loping round,  ships  sailing,  soldiers  marching,  or  people 
dancing,  the  propelling  power  of  which  is  the  current  of 
air  created  by  the  heat  of  the  lamp  within.  The  illumi- 
nation continues  for  three  nights,  and  is  attended  by  a 
grand  display  of  fireworks. 

The  New  Year’s  festivities  last  usually  for  fifteen  days. 
Fuel  and  provisions,  sufficient  to  last  for  several  days, 
must  be  purchased  before  the  New  Year,  and  all  debts 
either  paid  or  arranged  for.  If  a man  refuses  to  pay  a 
debt,  his  creditor  may,  on  the  last  night  of  the  year,  go 
to  the  debtor’s  house,  and  break  his  furniture,  smash 
crockery,  and  create  general  confusion.  Such  a begin- 
ning to  the  New  Year  is  considered  as  most  unfortunate 
and  inauspicious.  If  a debtor  eludes  his  creditor, 


280 


THE  ORIENT 


until  New  Year’s  morning,  the  creditor  may  still  searcn 
for  him,  if  he  carries  a lighted  lantern,  thus  pretending 
that  he  is  not  aware  that  it  is  }"et  daylight,  for  the  seek- 
ing of  debtors,  after  a man  has  acknowledged  that  it  is 
a New  Year,  is  not  allowed. 

Five  ceremonies  are  to  be  observed  on  New  Years’  days, 
which  are,  the  sacrifice  to  heaven  and  earth ; the  worship 
of  the  gods  belonging  to  the  family;  the  worship  of 
deceased  ancestors;  prostrations  before  living  parents, 
grandparents,  aunts  and  uncles,  and  the  making  of  New 
Year  calls. 

The  festival,  which  begins  at  the  midnight  that  closes 
the  old  year,  is  ushered  in  by  ceremonies  of  offerings, 
incense-burning,  and  numerous  other  rites,  which  last  till 
daylight.  As  soon  as  day  appears,  visits  of  congratula- 
tion are  paid  and  received,  and  New  Year’s  gifts  are  sent 
to  particular  friends,  always  accompanied  by  a visiting 
card  of  red  papei , on  which  is  written  the  name  of  the 
donor  and  a list  of  the  gifts  sent.  The  first  fifteen  days 
of  the  3'ear  are  the  harvest  of  all  the  actors,  musicians, 
jugglers,  and  gambling,  smoking,  and  drinking  booths 
in  the  Empire.  Few  are  too  poor  to  spend  a little  for 
amusement,  while  the  rich  provide  entertainment  for  the 
poor. 

Marriage  customs  differ  in  various  parts  of  China,  but 
a few  leading  characteristics  may  be  noticed.  Betrothal 
usuall}"  takes  place  when  children  are  ten,  or  eleven,  or 
twelve  3^ears  of  age,  and  is  as  binding  as  the  final  mar- 
riage ceremon}^  which  must  inevitably  follow,  a few 
3'ears  later,  without  reference  to  any  evil  that  may  have 
befallen,  or  been  developed  in  either  party^  during  the 
intervening  time. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


281 


When  poor  people  have  a daughter  bom  to  them  that 
they  do  not  feel  able  to  keep,  they  frequently  give  the 
infant  to  some  family,  to  be  brought  up  by  them  as  a 
wife  for  their  son.  Persons  of  the  same  name  cannot 
marrv,  though  not  related. 

Betrothals  are  always  made  by  go-betweens.  Even 
families  who  are  very  intimate  employ  a go-between  to 
negotiate,  as  it  would  not  be  considered  proper  for  an}’ 
member  of  either  family  to  make  proposals.  There  are 
many  ceremonies  and  superstitions  to  be  observed,  and 
many  presents  to  be  exchanged  at  the  time  of  betrothal, 
but  upon  the  final  wedding  days,  superstition  and  cere- 
mony hold  high  carnival.  A few  of  the  multitude  of 
performances  are  the  following:  On  the  day  before  the 
wedding,  the  bride’s  wedding  outfit  is  sifted  piece  by 
piece,  in  a coarse  sieve,  over  a coal  fire,  to  purify  them 
of  any  evil  influence.  Before  this,  however,  the  bride’s 
female  friends  are  feasted,  and  see  her  try  on  the  wed- 
ding dress.  Her  hair  is  done  up  in  the  style  of  married 
women,  and  her  eyebrows  are  plucked  out.  She  wor- 
ships the  ancestral  tablets,  her  parents,  grandparents, 
and  aunts  and  uncles.  Towards  evening,  four  men,  with 
musicians,  torch  bearers,  lantern  bearers,  and  some  other 
attendants,  go  from  the  bridegroom’s  to  the  bride’s  house, 
with  a handsome  red  sedan  chair,  which  is  next  da}’  to 
take  her  to  his  home.  These  persons  must  be  lodged 
and  feasted  for  the  night  by  the  bride’s  friends.  On  the 
morning  of  the  wedding,  the  bride  and  her  friends  are 
expected  to  have  a good,  hearty  cry,  before  she  goes  to 
live  with  strangers.  Before  the  bride  takes  her  seat  in 
the  sedan  chair,  her  face  and  head  is  completely  covered 
with  a thick  embroidered  veil.  To  the  music  of  the 


282  . 


THE  ORIENT 


band,  and  the  firing  of  crackers,  the  bride  is  seated  in 
the  sedan,  and  the  procession  of  musicians,  lantern  and 
torch  bearers,  attendants,  and  brothers  or  friends  of  the 
bride,  starts  on  its  way.  A company  of  the  bridegroom’s 
friends  soon  meet  the  procession.  After  some  ceremonies, 
which  changes  her  name,  the  bride’s  friends,  all  save 
two  female  attendants,  leave  her,  and  the  party  proceed 
to  her  husband’s  house.  There,  surrounded  by  a multi- 
tude of  the  bridegroom’s  friends,  they  worship  his  ances- 
tral tablets,  go  through  many  ceremonies,  and  drink 
wine  together,  after  which  the  bride’s  face  is  uncovered, 
when  she  and  her  husband  see  each  other’s  faces,  fre- 
quently for  the  first  time.  The  day  is  spent  in  feasting, 
congratulations,  complimenting  the  bride,  and  general 
hilarity. 

An  all-prevalent  and  all-powerful  superstition,  called 
Fung-Shwuy,  or  powers  of  nature — literally,  winds  and 
waters,  is  the  occasion  of  innumerable  customs  and  per- 
formances. Its  influence  must  be  considered  in  nearly 
every  individual  or  public  affair  of  life.  All  classes  of 
society  bow  humbly  before  it.  The  directions  given  in 
an  almanac,  for  overpowering  evil  influences,  will  convey 
some  idea  of  its  meaning: 

“For  a fortunate  flag-staft',  use  a long,  solid  beam.  To 
a transverse  pole,  at  the  top,  suspend  a wooden  cover, 
formed  of  four  sides,  and  an  inclined  roof,  like  a house, 
to  protect  a lantern  beneath  from  the  rain.  Write  upon 
one  side  of  the  lantern  the  word  ‘Peace,’  on  the  opposite, 
the  name  of  the  god,  Tse-mi-}men.  Then  the  god  will 
enter  and  establish  himself  there.  If  there  be  any  evil 
influence  exerted  upon  you  from  the  neighborhood, 
whether  it  be  from  a large  tree,  from  a lantern-staft', 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


283 


from  a high  residence,  from  a watch-tower,  from  an 
official  residence  or  building,  or  from  the  house  of  an 
enemy,  the  erection  of  this  staff  will  be  found  efficient 
for  your  protection.  Should  there  be  a house  in  front  of 
your  family  residence  higher  than  your  own,  let  a staff 
of  moderate  height  be  raised  at  your  back  door,  or  in 
the  open  court  behind  the  house.  If  there  be  a dwelling 
house,  or  a high  wall  behind  you,  raise  a flag-staff  in 
your  front  open  court,  or  before  3’our  door,  to  counteract 
its  influence.  Thus  you  will  obtain  prosperity.” 

The  funerals  of  grown  persons,  and  especially'  of  par- 
ents, are  as  remarkable  for  burdensome  ceremonies, 
extravagant  manifestations  of  grief,  and  lavish  expense, 
as  those  of  children  are  for  their  coldness  and  neglect, 
though  the  little  creatures  were  most  carefully  and  lov- 
ingly' attended  until  the  moment  of  death.  Infants  are 
not  buried,  but  are  thrown  into  “baby-houses” — little 
buildings  with  a small  hole  in  one  side,  or  wrapped  in  a 
mat  and  thrown  into  the  river,  or  thrown  anywhere,  out 
of  the  way,  after  which  the  house  is  swept,  gongs  beaten, 
and  crackers  fired,  so  that  its  spirit  may  never  dare 
enter  the  house  again . They  suppose  it  to  be  some 
“short-lived  spirit”  or  “devil,”  come  to  annoy  and  exact 
satisfaction  for  some  old  debt. 

On  the  death  of  an  Emperor,  the  Board  of  Rites  issues 
directions  for  mourning,  and  all  the  millions  of  China 
clothe  themselves  in  coarse  sacking  or  white  serge,  lay 
aside  every  kind  of  ornament,  and  refrain  from  all  fes- 
tiv’ities,  either  in  public  or  private.  During  the  first 
hundred  days,  men  are  obliged  to  leave  their  heads  and 
beards  unshaven.  Marriages  are  not  celebrated,  nor  any 
sacrifices  performed  in  the  temples.  Similar  ceremonies 


284 


THE  ORIENT 


are  observ'ed  for  about  fifty  days,  on  the  death  of  the 
Empress-mother. 

For  a grown  person,  especially  for  a parent,  the  cere- 
monies and  wailings  are  most  tedious  and  lengthy. 
Lights  and  incense  are  burned  before  the  spirit,  food 
placed  before  it,  money  provided  for  its  use,  paper  sedan- 
chairs,  houses,  furniture,  and  servants  burned  for  its 
accommodation,  and  from  eight  to  forty  garments  put 
upon  the  corpse.  The  coffins  are  very  heavy  and  strong, 
and  are  made  air-tight  by  the  use  of  a preparation  of 
Chinese  varnish,  lime,  and  broken  crockery,  pounded 
fine.  A well  made  coffin,  which  has  been  painted  or 
varnished  every  seventh  day,  for  seven  times,  after  the 
dead  have  been  placed  in  it,  may  be  left  unburied  a 
number  of  years,  without  any  unpleasant  effect.  The 
very  poor  are  obliged  to  bury  their  dead  in  a few  days, 
to  save  expense,  but  among  the  rich,  it  would  be  disrep- 
utable to  bury  their  dead  under  sixty  da}"S,  and  some- 
times not  for  years,  when  there  is  any  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing a suitable  resting  place,  that  is,  one  well  established 
with  regard  to  the  principles  of  Fung  Shwuy. 

The  extreme  anxiety  concerning  the  bones  of  the  dead, 
is  caused  by  the  belief  that  their  spirits  will  haunt  the 
living,  if  proper  respect  for  them  is  not  shown.  The 
selection  of  a proper  spot  for  a tomb  is  a matter  of  great 
concern.  The  professional  diviner  is  employed  to  examine 
luckv  sites,  and  decide  upon  the  one  most  suitable.  The 
hills  around  a Chinese  city  are  scattered  over  with 
tombs,  for  there  are  no  common  cemeteries.  Wealthy 
men  spend  thousands  of  dollars  in  ascertaining  a spot 
where  their  spirits  will  rest  satisfied,  and  secure  prosper- 
ity and  health  to  their  families. 


ITS  PEOPLE. 


285 


The  worship  of  ancestors,  and  the  offerings  and  pros- 
trations before  ancestral  tablets,  is  one  of  the  two  most 
universal  forms  of  idolatry.  The  tablets  are  small 
pillars,  upon  which  are  inscribed  the  names  of  ancestors. 
These  may  be  found  in  every  house.  They  are  wor- 
shipped twice  a month,  and  on  every  occasion  of  joy  or 
ill  in  the  family.  Large  ancestral  halls,  belonging  to  com- 
munities, are  erected,  in  which  the  tablets  of  noted  men 
are  kept,  and  worshipped  with  imposing  and  solemn 
state  ceremonies. 


286 


THE  ORIENT 


THE  OPIUM  WAR. 

No  ev3nt  in  the  history  of  China  has  been  of  such 
portentous  interest  to  either  the  Chinese,  or  surrounding 
nations,  or  has  so  greatly  affected  the  people  of  China, 
as  the  Opium  War.  It  opened  to  the  commerce  of  the 
world  one  of  its  most  extensive  and  wonderful  kingdoms. 
It  introduced  to  the  people  of  that  kingdom  an  insidious 
but  mighty  engine  for  their  destruction,  and  one  of  its 
ultimate  results  is  the  introduction  of  modern  civilization, 
and  Christianity,  which  may  be  the  means  of  the  coun- 
trv’s  salvation  from  idolatry  and  opium. 

Whatever  the  results  of  the  Opium  War  finally  may 
be,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  one  of  the  most 
wicked,  selfish,  and  cruel  wars  ever  waged  against  any 
nation.  If  good  arises  from  it,  it  is  only  because  there  is  a 
Divine  Power  overruling  the  nations,  who  can  make  even 
the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  restraining  the  remain- 
der, which  would  otherwise  entirely  destroy  the  race. 

“In  1833  the  charter  of  the  East  India  Company,  which 
had  carried  on  all  the  trade  between  England  and  China, 
expired,  and  all  British  subjects  were  equally  at  liberty 
to  trade  with  China.  Independent  merchants  were  less 
honorable  and  careful  in  their  dealings  with  the  people, 
than  had  been  the  Company.  Troubles  sprang  up,  and 
mutual  suspicion  and  hatred  increased  between  the  two 
nations.  But  the  great  cause  of  the  war  was  the  fearful 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


287 


e\nls  inflicted  upon  the  Chinese,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  by  the  growth  and  illegal  introduction  of  opium 
The  trade,  which  was  contraband,  had  been  extensively 
carried  on  by  the  Company,  and  had  increased  more  than 
fivefold  in  twelve  years.  This  drew  the  serious  attention 
of  the  Peking  government  to  the  growing  evil.  Decrees 
were  issued,  ordering  that  all  smokers,  venders,  or  pur- 
chasers of  opium,  were  to  be  beaten  with  a hundred 
strokes  of  the  bamboo,  to  stand  in  the  pillory,  and  to 
receive  other  punishments. 

From  that  time  until  1839,  difficulties  increased,  and  the 
animosity  of  the  Chinese  towards  foreigners,  gained 
strength  from  the  persistent  efforts  of  the  English  to 
force  opium  into  every  accessible  port.  A stupendous 
system  of  smuggling  grew  up,  in  which  many  Chinese 
officers  were  involved,  and  which  those  who  sincerely- 
deplored  and  resisted,  were  utterly  unable  to  control. 

The  factories  or  storehouses  of  the  European  and 
American  traders,  occupied  a small  space  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  outside  the  walls  of  the  city  of  Canton. 
Native  feeling  was  so  high  against  all  foreigners,  that 
they  were  obliged  to  remain  within  that  narrow  limit. 

“In  January,  1839,  government  sent  the  police  to 
search  the  native  houses  of  Canton,  and  seize  opium 
wherever  found.  This  led  to  a curious  scene,  highly 
characteristic  of  the  democratic  character  of  the  Chinese 
institutions,  and  the  independence  of  the  people.  The 
people  would  not  allow  the  search  to  begin  until  they 
had  first  searched  the  policemen,  who  were  generally 
known  as  the  greatest  opium  smokers  in  the  city.  A 
few  days  after  this,  the  Canton  authorities  caused  a native 
opium  smuggler  to  be  executed  in  front  of  the  factories, 


288 


THE  ORIEET 


whereupon  all  the  foreign  flags  were  immediately 
struck.  The  Governor  took  no  notice  of  a remonstrance 
addressed  him  by  Captain  Eliot.” 

A week  after  these  occurrences,  the  celebrated  Com- 
missioner, Lin,  arrived  from  court,  vested  with  the  most 
absolute  powers  that  were  ever  delegated  by  the 
Emperor.  In  one  of  his  edicts,  he  said,  “I,  the  Com- 
missioner, am  sworn  to  remove  utterly  this  root  of 
misery ; nor  will  I let  the  foreign  vessels  have  any  ofl'shoot 
left  for  the  evil  to  bud  forth  again.”  “When  he  arrived 
at  Canton,  there  were  several  British  ships  in  the  river, 
having  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  chests  of  opium  on 
board.  These  he  demanded  should  be  given  up  without 
delay,  to  be  destroyed.  He  blockaded  the  factories,  and 
even  threatened  to  put  the  occupants  to  death ; on  which 
the  British  superintendent — Captain  Eliot — deemed  it 
advisable  to  agree  to  the  surrender  of  the  opium,  in  order 
to  secure  the  safety  of  his  countrymen.  Several  weeks 
were  occupied  in  landing  the  forfeited  drug,  during 
which  the  merchants  were  still  detained  in  the  factories; 
but  as  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that  aU  the  chests  had 
been  brought  on  shore,  the  troops  were  withdrawn,  and 
the  captives  allowed  to  depart.” 

Commissioner  Lin  sent  to  the  Emperor,  asking  what 
he  should  do  with  the  seized  opium,  and  received  the 
following  answer:  “Lin  and  his  colleagues  are  to  assem- 
ble the  civil  and  military  officers,  and  destroy  the  opium 
before  their  eyes;  thus  manifesting  to  the  nations  dwell- 
ing on  the  sea  coast,  and  the  foreigners  of  the  outside 
nations,  an  awful  warning.  Respect  this.  Obey  respect- 
full}".”  In  obedience  to  this  command,  the  opium  was 
tlirown  into  trenches,  with  a quantity  of  quick -lime,  salt 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


289 


and  water,  so  that  it  was  decomposed,  and  the  mixture 
ran  into  the  sea.  The  operation  for  destroying  the  drug 
continued  about  twenty  days,  and  was  witnessed  by 
some  English  merchants,  who  had  an  interview  with 
Commissioner  Lin.  The  value  of  the  opium  was  about 
twelve  millions  of  Spanish  dollars. 

After  this,  the  English  removed  to  Macao,  but  on  get- 
ting into  trouble  there,  were  obliged  to  go  to  Hong- 
Kong,  a rocky  island  near  the  coast  of  China. 

“The  High-Commissioner  Lin  no  sooner  became 
aware  that  the  British  fleet  had  removed  to  Hong-Kong, 
than  he  issued  a decree  that  all  trade  between  the  Eng- 
lish and  the  Chinese  should  be  suspended  until  the  former 
had  given  bonds  to  obey  the  laws  of  the  empire,  signed 
with  the  names  of  all  the  owners  of  vessels  engaged  in 
the  opium  trade,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Superintendent.” 
This  the  English  refused  to  do,  trade  was  suspended, 
and  the  Chinese  made  preparations  to  attack  the  English 
ships.  England  declared  war  against  China.  For  over 
two  years,  the  Chinese  strove  bravely  to  resist  the  inva- 
sion of  the  English,  but  the  Chinese  army  was  not  able 
to  cope  with  the  well  trained  English  soldiery. 

The  Chinese  military  men  are  comparatively  little 
respected,  their  social  rank  being  considerably  lower 
than  that  of  husbandmen.  “The  Chinese  soldiery  are 
merely  a militia,  as  they  dwell  at  their  own  homes,  clothe 
and  arm  themselves  according  to  their  own  fancy,  and 
are  very  seldom  required  for  actual  service.  Their  chief 
duty  is  to  act  as  police  in  the  cities,  and  assist  in  putting 
down  any  local  disturbances  or  rebellion  among  the 
mountaineers,  but  they  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
with  their  families,  engaged  in  cultivating  the  land.” 


290 


THE  OUIENT 


The  Tartar  troops,  which  comprise  probably  less  than 
half  the  arm}’-  of  eight  hundred  thousand  men,  are  more 
warlike,  regularh^  trained,  and  organized.  Their  train- 
ing is  not  in  the  use  of  fire  arms,  which  certainly  seems 
strange,  as  gunpowder  was  known  to  the  Chinese  cen- 
turies before  it  was  introduced  into  western  lands.  i\.t 
the  military  examinations,  proficiency  in  archer}',  in 
sword  exercise,  with  ponderous  swords,  weighing  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  and  in 
exercises  with  stones  of  like  weights,  is  required  of  the 
candidates  for  military  offices. 

It  is  scarcely  surprising  that  the  English  troops,  in 
almost  every  instance,  were  victorious  over  an  army  of 
such  training  and  standing.  The  resistance  of  the  Chi 
nese  was  brave  and  determined,  but  ineffectual.  Their 
principal  ports  were  captured,  and  only  redeemed  by  the 
payment  of  immense  sums  of  money.  The  destruction 
and  pillage  of  property  was  beyond  all  computation. 
The  carnage  was  fearful,  thousands  of  soldiers  and  citi- 
zens were  slain,  and  hundreds  of  women,  whose  hus- 
bands were  killed,  threw  their  helpless  infants  into  tanks 
and  wells,  and  then  destroyed  themselves  or  each  other. 

After  many  unsuccessful  attempts  at  negotiation,  the 
Chinese  government  were  at  last  obliged  to  peld  to  the 
demands  of  the  English,  and  on  the  29th  of  August, 
1842,  a treaty  was  made.  “The  articles  of  the  treaty 
were  summarily  these:  Lasting  peace  and  friendship  to 
be  preserved  between  the  two  empires;  China  to  pay 
the  immense  sum  of  twentv-one  millions  of  dollars  tyf 
which  twelve  millions  were  to  pay  England  the  expenses 
of  the  war,  three  millions  were  claimed  for  debts  due  to 
English  merchants,  and  six  millions  of  dollars  were 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


291 


required  to  remunerate  the  owners  of  the  smuggled 
opium  which  Lin  had  seized  in  the  Canton  river);  the  five 
ports  of  Canton,  Amoy,  Fu-chau,  Shanghai,  and  Ningpo 
to  be  open  to  the  British,  who  should  have  the  liberty  of 
appointing  consuls  to  reside  in  those  towns;  regular  tariffs 
of  import  and  export  duties  to  be  established,  so  that 
merchants  might  not  be  subjected  to  impositions;  and 
the  island  of  Hong-Kong  was  to  be  ceded  for  ever  to 
the  Crown  of  England!”  All  subjects  of  Great  Britain, 
then  prisoners,  were  to  be  released,  and  also  all  Chinese 
subjects,  who  had  incurred  penalties  by  holding  inter- 
course with  British  officers,  were  to  be  granted  a free 
pardon. 

Sir  Henry  Pottinger,  the  Minister  of  “her  most  gra- 
cious and  religious  Majesty,”  Queen  Victoria,  who  had 
the  treatv  and  settlement  in  charge,  also  made  a proposi- 
tion to  the  Emperor  to  legalize  the  trade  in  opium.  The 
noble  answer  of  the  aged  heathen  Emperor,  Tau-Kwang, 
is  worthy  of  lasting  remembrance.  “It  is  true,  I cannot  pre- 
vent the  introduction  of  the  flowing  poison ; gain-seeking 
and  corrupt  men  will,  for  profit  and  sensuality,  defeat  my 
wishes;  but  nothing  will  induce  me  to  derive  a revenue 
from  the  vice  and  misery  of  m}^  people.”  Sixteen  years 
after,  his  weaker  son,  the  Emperor  Hien-Fung,  gave 
way  to  the  overwhelming  pressure  from  the  Ministers  of 
England,  France,  and  America,  and  thus  hav-^e  Christian 
nations  succeeded  in  firmly  planting  “this  root  of  misery” 
among  400,000,000  of  people,  and  as  some  one  has  truth- 
full  v said,  '■'■Opium  is  as  much  legalized  as  the  GospeV' 

Though  a treaty  of  peace  had  been  signed  between 
the  two  nations,  the  Chinese  were  far  from  being  at 
peace  with  the  English.  They  have  always,  and  with 


292 


THE  ORIENT 


good  reason,  viewed  the  Opium  War  and  its  exactions 
and  results,  with  great  bitterness.  The  following  extract 
from  one  of  the  papers  published  by  some  of  their  writers, 
shows  their  bitter  feelings: 

The  English,  “linking  themselves  with  traitorous 
Chinese  traders,  have  carried  on  a large  trade,  and 
poisoned  our  brave  people  with  opium.  Verily,  the 
English  barbarians  murder  all  of  us  that  they  can. 
They  are  dogs,  whose  desires  can  never  be  satisfied. 
Therefore  we  need  not  to  inquire  whether  the  peace  they 
have  now  made  be  real  or  pretended.  Let  us  rise,  arm, 
unite,  and  go  against  them.  We  do  bind  ourselves  to 
vengeance,  and  express  these  our  sincere  intentions,  in 
order  to  exhibit  our  high  principles  and  patriotism.  The 
gods  from  on  high  look  down  on  us ; let  us  not  lose  our 
just  and  firm  resolution.”  This  paper  was  agreed  to  at 
a great  public  meeting  at  Canton,  and  the  officers 
declared  that  they  could  not  prevent  its  publication. 

The  immediate  results  of  the  war  were  great  insecu- 
rity of  life  and  property  in  the  open  ports,  continual  out- 
breaks by  the  patriotic  Chinese,  the  gathering  at  Hong- 
Kong,  under  a British  and  Christian  flag,  of  the  scum 
and  oflscouring  of  many  nations,  making  it  a den  of 
vilest  iniquity ; rebellions,  robbery,  want,  and  suffering  in 
all  parts  of  the  empire,  and  the  return  of  the  Emperor 
Tau-Kwang  to  idolatry. 

The  introduction  of  opium  was  resisted  with  the  most 
noble  fidelity,  to  the  best  interests  of  his  subjects,  by  the 
Emperor  Tau-Kwang.  Though  all  classes  are  affected 
by  the  use  of  opium,  as  in  America  and  Europe  all  classes 
are  affected  by  the  use  of  alcohol,  still  there  are  millions, 
and  even  those  who  are  its  victims,  who  deplore  and 


AlfD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


293 


curse  its  evil  influences.  No  words  could  present  the 
case  more  strongly  than  those  used  by  one  of  themselves, 
who  thus  describes  the  calamities  which  he  saw  around 
him,  or  in  the  future:  “Opium  is  the  author  of  the  most 
pressing  evils  to  the  nation,  the  consumer  of  its  sub- 
stance, the  destroyer  of  its  people,  the  corrupter  of  its 
officers,  and  the  plotter  of  its  final  subjugation.” 

“What  is  the  efl'ect  of  the  opium  trade  upon  Christian 
missions  ? Every  man  who  has  been*  engaged  in  the 
work  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  healing  the  sick,  instruct- 
ing the  young,  and  disseminating  the  word  of  God, 
knows  the  incessant  and  bitter  objection  urged  by  all 
classes  to  his  efforts,  is,  that  it  is  impossible  that  nations 
which  carry  opium  in  the  right  hand,  can  have  any  boon 
of  mercy  in  the  left.”  Missionaries,  while  denouncing 
the  evils  of  opium  smoking,  and  entreating  the  people 
not  to  use  it,  are  very  frequently  met  by  the  reply,  “You 
foreigners  bring  it  to  sell,  and  now  you  exhort  us  not  to 
use  it.  If  you  do  not  wish  us  to  smoke  it,  why  did  vou 
import  it  ? If  you  did  not  bring  it  to  sell,  we  could  not 
buy  it,  and  therefore  should  not  use  it.”  A missionary 
was  driven  out  of  Ho-man  by  a mob,  led  on  by  the 
native  gentry,  whose  feeling  was  shown  by  shouting 
these  words  after  him,  “You  burned  our  palace;  you 
killed  our  Emperor ; you  sell  poison  to  our  people ; now 
you  come  professing  to  teach  us  virtue.” 

The  opium  trade,  and  its  effect  upon  the  Chinese,  to 
Americans  is  a question  of  the  most  vital  importance.  A 
measure  of  the  sin  of  it  lies  at  our  door,  for  our  repre- 
sentatives aided  in  establishing  it,  and  we  as  a nation 
seem  destined  to  reap  largely  of  its  curses.  Our  country 
is  great  and  broad,  and  in  comparison  with  China,  most 


294 


THE  ORIEXT 


sparsely  settled.  China  swarms  with  humanity.  Its 
teeming  millions  are  slowly  but  surely  colonizing  in 
America.  To  us  they  come,  idolaters,  gamblers,  and 
opium  smokers.  This  last  vice,  which  was  less  known 
in  China  a hundred  years  ago  than  it  is  in  America 
to-day,  is  now  a national  and  a growing  evil.  To  their 
own  hurt,  and  to  the  injury  of  the  people  among  whom 
they  go,  they  cany  this  curse.  Enslaved  as  they  are 
by  the  opium  pipe,  we  cannot  but  respect  them  for  the 
bravery  and  determination  with  which  for  years  they 
fought  against  its  introduction,  and  for  the  zeal  and  good 
sense  with  which  they  still  strive,  by  tract  distribution, 
and  numberless  antidotes,  to  warn  or  cure  men  of  the 
great  evil.  While  passing  travelers  may  picture  to  us 
simply  the  infatuation  of  the  opium  smokers,  others,  well 
acquainted  with  the  Chinese,  tell  us  of  the  sorrow  with 
which  they  regard  this  national  evil,  and  of  the  bitterness 
and  hatred  which  all  Chinamen  entertain  for  the  “foreign 
devils”  who  introduced  opium  to  the  Flowery  Kingdom. 

A thousand  missionaries,  leading  among  the  Chinese 
the  most  godly  and  self-sacrificing  lives,  could  not  undo 
the  sin  which  Christian  nations  have  imposed  upon 
China,  nor  totally  obliterate  that  bitterness  which  the 
Chinese  justly  entertain  for  the  Western  nations;  never- 
theless, whatever  the  difficulties  we  may  have  hedged 
about  the  commandment,  it  still  stands,  “Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.” 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


296 


THE  CHINESE  IN  AMERICA. 

In  view  of  the  general  attention  that  the  subject  of 
the  Chinese  in  America  is  attracting,  and  also  the  neces- 
sity that  all  aspects  of  this  most  portentous  question, 
should  be  frequently  and  carefully  brought  before  our 
people,  this  chapter  has  been  mainly  compiled  from  Dr. 
Wm.  Speer’s  very  valuable  work  on  China  and  the  Uni- 
ted States.  Dr.  Speer,  from  his  very  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Chinese,  both  in  their  own  land  and  in 
America,  is  well  qualified  and  competent  to  speak  clearly 
and  emphatically  on  this  subject.  ShortD  after  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  marvelous  stories  of  its 
wonderful  wealth  and  profusion,  reached  China,  and,  as 
in  other  lands,  the  gold  fever  seized  upon  men  of  all 
classes  and  occupations.  “And  those  who  remember 
the  strange  compound  of  the  refined  and  the  base,  the 
good  and  the  bad,  the  men  of  professions  and  employ- 
ments, who  were  cast  together  into  the  mines  of  Califor- 
nia, will  understand  how  the  same  variety  existed  among 
those  who  were  drawn  by  the  same  motives,  and  in  the 
same  haste,  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean.” 

“The  means  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  voyage  are 
obtained  by  Chinese  emigrants  to  California,  in  the  same 
way  in  which  they  are  b}^  our  own  people,  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances.” Little  stores  are  sold  out,  farms  mort- 


296 


THE  ORIENT 


gained,  friends  lend  aid,  or  money  is  borrowed,  at  a high 
rate  of  interest.  The  most  careful  inquiry,  by  those  most 
competent  to  make  such  inquiry,  does  not  show  that 
slaves  have  ever  been  imported  by  the  “companies”  or 
capitalists,  to  be  worked  against  their  own  will,  and  for 
the  advantage  of  the  employer.  The  abuse  and  cruel 
treatment  of  the  Chinese  emigrants  by  the  agents  and 
ship-masters  of  Christian  nations,  has  been  fearful,  and 
it  became  necessary  for  the  English,  French,  American, 
and  Chinese  governments,  to  enter  into  an  agreement 
for  their  protection. 

There  are  at  present  about  85,000  Chinese  in  California. 
This  estimate  is  based  upon  the  census  report  for  1870, 
and  the  reported  arrivals  and  departures  of  the  Chinese 
to  and  from  California.  In  1870,  according  to  the  census, 
there  were  less  than  50,000  Chinese  in  California;  since 
that  time  the  annual  arrivals  have  been  about  13,000, 
the  annual  departures  5,000.  The  death  rate  is  about 
two  per  cent,  of  the  average  number  of  residents;  and 
the  birth  rate  is  practically  nothing.  From  six  to  seven 
thousand  of  these  are  women,  the  larger  part  of  whom 
are  women  of  bad  character.  “The  character  of  their 
women  in  California  has  been  constantly  urged  against 
the  Chinese  there.  Among  the  better  class  of  that 
people,  this  is  a very  bitter  subject.  One  of  the  first  of 
their  people  who  came  to  California,  was  a woman  from 
Hong-Kong — not  from  China  proper,  but  from  a Chris- 
tian Queen’s  dominion.  She  was  a bold,  cunning,  and 
bad  woman,  who  saw  at  once  the  profit  which  might  be 
reaped  from  the  importation  of  abandoned  women.  She 
had  several  brought  over.  The  respectable  Chinese  in 
San  Francisco  used  their  utmost  efforts  to  compel  their 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


29" 


return,  but  in  vain.  The  matter  was  brought  before  our 
courts,  and  these  men  were  compelled  by  our  laws  to 

submit  to  what  they  saw  would  be  a cause  of  untold 

•/ 

injury  to  their  and  our  people.”  The  difficulties  which 
prevent  the  Chinese  from  bringing  their  families  with 
them,  are  many.  Their  prejudices,  the  expense  of  bring- 
ing them,  and  of  living  here,  the  wants  of  parents  and 
children  in  China,  and  many  other  excuses,  are  given. 
But  inducements  should  be  offered  by  employers  and 
ship  captains,  to  bring  their  families  with  them.  Their 
moral  improvement  would  thus  be  greatly  accelerated. 

To  judge  correctly  concerning  a people,  we  should 
know  something  of  their  capabilities.  The  industry  of 
the  Chinese,  their  habits  of  economy,  their  intelligence, 
and  the  variety  of  their  employments,  deserve  attention 
and  full  appreciation.  “Ages  of  toil  seem  to  have  tamed 
the  nature  of  the  Chinese,  till  now  patience  and  dili- 
gence have  become  elements  of  both  mind  and  body. 
They  work  because  they  love  work,  honor  work,  and 
maintain  happiness  and  self-respect  by  work.” 

Foreigners  in  China  see  this  national  characteristic 
exhibited  in  manifold  ways.  The  tea  they  purchase  is 
prepared  with  an  amount  of  manual  labor  that  is  almost 
beyond  belief  Silk  is  wrought  with  a care,  and 
embroidered  with  a delicate  skill  which  is  not  known 
elsewhere.  The  paintings  upon  rice-paper  are  so  elab- 
orately finished  in  every  vein,  and  stripe,  and  spot,  and 
tint  of  a butterfly’s  wing,  or  of  the  petals  of  a tiger  lily, 
or  of  the  bright  feathers  of  a tropical  pheasant,  that  one 
has  to  examine  them  carefully,  to  be  satisfied  that  they 
are  not  the  article  itself,  attached  to  the  surface.” 

The  next  cardinal  virtue  of  the  Chinese  is  economy. 


298 


THE  ORIENT 


There  is  no  people  in  an}"  nation  who  exercise  greater 
economy  and  carefulness  in  the  use  of  materials,  tools,  or 
utensils,  or  in  the  saving  of  odds  and  ends,  than  the 
Chinese.  They  understand  the  value  of  time,  and  are 
economical  of  it,  just  as  they  are  of  money. 

The  intelligent,  straightforward,  and  sensible  manner 
in  which  the  Chinese  work,  is  another  worthy  character- 
istic. In  this  respect  they  are  far  superior  to  laborers  of 
some  of  the  European  nations.  Combined  with  intelli- 
gence is  willingness  and  politeness.  It  amounts  to  cheer- 
fulness and  mirthfulness  among  each  other,  and  those 
with  whom  they  feel  at  ease.  But  to  employers  gener- 
ally they  manifest  a most  refreshing  promptness  and  wil- 
lingness to  do  just  what  they  are  asked  to  do. 

Such  are  some  of  their  good  points.  “Have  these 
people  no  faults  ? Yes.  They  are  suspicious  until  they 
become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  us;  they  are  often 
dishonest;  they  often  lie;  they  feel  unsettled  in  this  coun- 
try; and  they  are  in  danger  of  temptations  to  sensuality.” 

Though  the  Chinese  have  these  serious  faults,  they  are 
not  destitute  of  honor  or  moral  considerations,  and  by 
properly  appealing  to  them,  they  may  be  won  to  faith- 
fulness. It  is  not  for  Americans  to  say  that  the  Chinese 
have  the  monopoly  of  lying,  cheating,  or  thieving,  nor  to 
scorn  them  too  proudly,  as  suspicious  or  sensual  minded. 
May  we  who  extol  and  long  for  missionary  work,  not 
be  disheartened  nor  disgusted  when  we  find  such  work 
brought  to  our  doors. 

“Our  people  require  considerable  time  to  become 
accustomed  to  the  strange  looking  race  who  go  so 
quietly,  and,  as  some  unused  to  them  would  imagine, 
slowly  about  their  daily  tasks.  They  will  not  bear 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


299 


goading,  or  harsh  language.  They  abhor  irritability, 
and  despise  fretfulness.  They  rebel  against  irregular 
hours  of  toil,  and  bad  and  insufficient  food.  Their 
characteristics  of  industry,  economy,  and  intelligence, 
must  make  them  a treasure  in  many  an  American 
home.  And  it  is  the  pleasant  experience  of  their 
usellilness  in  families,  which  has  made  so  many  of  the 
better  class  of  people  in  California  and  the  neighboring 
states  their  warm  friends,  and  impatient  with  the  injuries 
which  chiefly  low  white  foreigners  have  inflicted  upon 
them.” 

The  Chinese  ‘‘companies”  in  San  Francisco,  and  their 
branches  in  the  principal  towns  of  California,  have  been 
a continual  puzzle  to  Americans.  Through  ignorance, 
the  Americans  have  regarded  them  with  fear,  jealousy, 
and  hatred,  supposing  them  to  be  the  centers  of  slavery 
and  oppression.  Careful  investigation  by  competent 
persons,  shows  that  the  companies  are  benevolent  insti- 
tutions, having  no  object  but  the  well  doing  and  welfare 
of  its  members  in  view. 

A company  house  is  thus  described:  “Upon  entering 
the  house  by  the  side  door,  an  uncovered  area,  in  accord- 
ance with  Chinese  custom,  is  seen  in  the  middle,  from 
which  rooms  open  toward  the  front  and  rear,  the  stairs 
ascend  on  either  side  to  the  second  story.  The  smaller 
apartments  below  are  occupied  by  the  managers  and  ser- 
vants of  the  company.  The  largest  hall  is  pasted  over 
with  sheets  of  red  paper,  covered  with  writing.  These 
contain  a record  of  the  name  and  residence  of  every 
member  of  the  company,  and  the  amount  of  his  sub- 
scription to  the  general  fund.  The  upper  story  and  the 
attic,  with  the  outbuildings  on  the  upper  side,  are,  it  may 


300 


THE  ORIENT 


be,  filled  with  lodgers,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  staying 
but  temporarily  on  a visit  from  the  mines,  or  on  their 
way  to  or  from  China.  A few  sick  persons  lie  on  their 
pallets  around,  and  a group  here  and  there  discuss  a 
bowl  of  rice,  or  smoke  and  chat  together.  In  the  rear 
is  the  kitchen.  All  is  quiet,  orderl}',  and  neat.” 

A few  extracts  from  the  constitution  and  rules  of  one 
of  these  companies,  will  give  a clearer  idea  of  their 
peaceful,  just,  and  law-abiding  character,  than  a long 
explanation  could  convey.  The  strict  requirement  that 
their  members  should  obe}*  the  laws  of  America,  con- 
trasted with  the  utter  lawlessness  of  the  majority  of 
Americans  in  China,  puts  the  “Heathen  Chinee”  in  a 
most  favorable  light.  “Since  it  is  necessary  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  such  associations,  and  the  promotion  of  the 
common  good,  that  some  rules  should  be  adopted,  we, 
members  of  the  Yeung- wo  Company,  now  dwelling  in 
a foreign  countr}',  have  established  those  which  follow: 

* * * They  are  in  conformity  with  the  customs  of 

the  foreign  country  in  which  we  are  sojourning.  We 
trust  they  will  be  exactly  observed  by  common  consent. 

* * * The  entrance  fee  shall  be  ten  dollars.  * * * 

No  fees  will  be  required  from  those  proved  to  be  inva- 
lids, or  from  transient  persons.  * * * In  the  Com- 

pany’s house  there  must  be  no  concealment  of  stolen 
goods;  no  strangers  brought  to  lodge;  no  gunpowder, 
or  other  combustible  material;  no  gambling;  no  drun- 
kenness; no  cooking  (except  in  the  proper  quarters);  no 
burning  of  sacrificial  papers;  no  accumulation  of  bag- 
gage; no  filth;  no  bathing;  no  filching  of  oil;  no  heaps 
of  rags  and  trash;  no  wrangling  and  noise;  no  injury  of 
the  property  of  the  company;  no  goods  belonging  to 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


301 


thieves;  no  slops  of  victuals.  For  the  weightier  of  these 
offences,  complaint  shall  be  made  to  the  police  of  the 
city;  for  the  lighter,  persons  shall  be  expelled  from  the 
company. 

“Invalids  that  cannot  labor,  are  poor,  and  without  rel- 
atives, may  be  returned  to  China  at  the  expense  of  the 
Company  for  their  passage  money;  but  provisions  and 
fuel,  and  other  expenses,  must  be  obtained  by  subscrip- 
tion. Coffins  may  be  furnished  for  the  poor,  but  of  such 
a careful  record  shall  be  kept. 

“Quarrels  and  troubles  about  claims  in  the  mines 
should  be  referred  to  the  Company,  where  they  shall  be 
duly  considered.  * * * If,  when  foreigners  do  injury, 
a complaint  is  made,  and  the  Company  exerts  itself  to 
have  justice  done,  without  avail,  it  ought  to  be  submitted 
to.  * * * Difficulties  brought  upon  men  by  their 

own  vices  and  follies,  will  not  receive  attention.  Thievery 
and  receiving  of  stolen  goods  will  not  be  protected ; nor 
will  troubles  in  bawdy  houses,  nor  those  in  gambling 
houses,  nor  debts  to  such,  nor  extortions  of  secret  socie- 
ties, nor  the  quarrels  of  such  associations,  nor  those  who 
are  injured  in  consequence  of  refusal  to  pay  their  licenses, 
nor  smuggling,  nor  any  violation  of  American  laws.  * * 
When  the  conduct  of  an  individual  is  such  as  to  bring 
disgrace  on  the  Company,  and  his  countrymen,  he  shall 
be  expelled,  and  a notice  to  that  effect  be  placarded  in 
each  of  the  five  Companies’  houses;  nor  will  the  Com- 
pany be  responsible  for  any  of  his  subsequent  villainies, 
or  even  make  any  investigation,  should  he  meet  with  a 
violent  death.”  ****** 

These  companies  are  a great  saving  of  trouble  and 
expense  to  the  Chinese  in  the  collection  of  debts,  settle- 


302 


TUE  OniEET 


merit  of  disputes,  and  the  relief  of  the  sick  and  unfortu- 
nate, and  are  a remarkable  illustration  of  their  practical 
wisdom.  Without  them,  California  could  not  have  been 
so  exempt  from  crime  and  strife  among  them;  but,  as  in 
the  wisest  of  human  arrangements,  their  designs  are  not 
always  so  well  executed  as  planned. 

“The  Chinese  were  at  first  kindly  treated  and  publiclv 
welcomed,  but  when  it  was  found  that  they  in  some 
sense  interfered  with  the  whites,  that  they  would  work 
for  less  wages,  while  others  were  idle,  that  the}'  did  not 
readily  learn  our  language,  or  mingle  freely  with  the 
rude  men  of  those  times,  public  sentiment  began  to  turn 
against  them.”  The  principal  complaints  at  present 
brought  against  the  Chinese  are,  that  they  are  crowding 
out  and  rendering  it  impossible  for  American  laborers  to 
obtain  an  honest  livelihood,  that  they  are  annually  send- 
ing to  China  millions  of  our  money,  that  they  are  export- 
ing large  fish,  and  destroying  small  ones,  by  wasteful 
fishing,  to  the  amount  of  a million  or  two  of  dollars 
yearly,  that  they  do  not  spend  their  earnings  here,  nor 
come  here  to  seek  a home.  Competitive  labor  should 
be  regarded  not  simply  in  its  relations  between  man  and 
man,  between  the  Chinaman  and  the  Irishman,  or  Ger- 
man, but  in  its  bearing  upon  the  highest  good  of  all. 
Very  many  of  the  public  improvements  of  the  State  of 
California  could  not  have  been  accomplished  had  there 
been  none  but  the  more  expensive  white  laborers  avail- 
able. “The  roads  among  the  mountains,  the  leveling  of 
the  rugged  and  broken  streets  of  various  cities  and 
towns,  the  introduction  of  pure  water  from  distant  streams 
into  these  places,  the  reclamation  of  swamp  or  over- 
flowed lands,  and  similar  important  enterprises,  have 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


303 


owed  their  projection  and  success  mainly  to  the  fact  that 
there  were  thousands  of  laborers  to  be  procured  at  rates 
which  would  render  the  outlay  of  capital  remunerative.” 
The  directors  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  declared 
that  they  would  not  have  dared  to  undertake  the  build- 
ing of  that  road  had  they  been  unable  to  procure  Chi- 
nese labor.  The  grain  and  fruit  crops  of  California  are 
more  valuable  than  the  gold  crop,  but  with  only  expen- 
sive white  laborers  to  cultivate  and  garner  them,  they 
can  never  be  brought  into  successful  competition  with 
the  grain  markets  of  Europe  and  the  Atlantic  States. 

The  Chinese  undoubtedly  do  send  a large  amount  of 
treasure  to  China,  but  probably  far  less  than  the  Irish, 
Germans,  Norwegians,  Scandinavians,  and  people  of 
other  European  nations  annually  remit  to  their  homes, 
and  far  less  than  Americans  send  out  of  the  country 
for  foreign  luxuries.  Could  the  Chinese  feel  assured  of 
protection  and  justice  on  our  shores,  they  would  be  in 
less  haste  to  send  their  gains  to  China,  and  would  prob- 
ably seek  to  introduce  valuable  productions  and  manu- 
factures. 

Much  of  this  gold  has  been  gained  from  mines  aban- 
doned by  white  men  as  not  sufficiently  productive,  or 
requiring  too  severe  labor.  For  the  poor  privilege  of 
working  mines  that  without  them  would  have  been 
unproductive — they  rarely  own  a good  mine — they  pay 
annually  into  the  State  treasury  from  sixty  to  eighty 
thousand  dollars. 

The  Chinese  are  not  onl}-  great  fish  consumers,  but 
the  most  successful  of  fish  raisers.  A few  wise  laws 
would  not  only  protect  our  fisheries,  but  greatly  increase 
their  productiveness.  The  early  settlers  in  California, 


304 


THE  OBIEHT 


from  any  place  or  nation,  did  not  intend  to  make  that 
State  their  home,  nor  would  an}’  one  think  of  doing  so 
now,  did  they  suffer  the  same  wrongs,  the  same  sense  ot 
oppression  and  insecurity  as  that  to  which  the  Chinese 
are  subjected. 

The  estimate  of  the  Chinese  in  this  country  has  been 
one-sided  and  biased.  Their  vices,  that  are  undeniable, 
are  so  often  represented, we  conclude  too  hastily  that  they 
are  without  redeeming  qualities. 

The  high-born  and  superior-minded  American  traveler 
and  reporter,  when  they  wish  to  write  up  the  Chinese 
quarter  in  San  Francisco,  seek  out  the  opium  dens,  the 
gambling  dens,  and  the  courtezans,  rather  than  any  pos- 
sible good  that  may  exist. 

The  robberies,  burnings,  murders,  and  unjust  taxation 
which  white  men  have  inflicted  upon  the  Chinese  in 
California  are  almost  past  belief;  the  forbearance,  concil- 
iatory and  respectful  conduct  of  the  Chinese  under  such 
trials,  seems  stranger  still.  Had  a small  fraction  of  such 
abuse  been  put  upon  Americans  in  China,  our  govern- 
ment would  have  declared  war  against  that  country.  It 
is  not  dullness  or  stolidity  which  causes  them  to  remain 
so  patient  under  such  persecution,  but  sound  good  sense, 
which  makes  them  aware  of  the  utter  uselessness  of  vio- 
lent resentment,  or  even  of  prosecution  in  the  courts, 
while  the  laws  of  the  State  forbid  their  giving  evidence 
against  a white  man.  The  -remonstrances  and  requests 
of  the  Chinese  to  the  State  government,  and  to  Congress, 
asking  for  fair  dealing,  are  most  just,  eloquent,  and  con- 
clusive. None  should  more  readily  put  away  all  foolish 
prejudice,  or  be  more  anxious  that  the  Chinese  on  our 
chores  should  receive  justice,  than  persons  interested  in 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


305 


the  success  of  missions.  There  is  no  greater  barrier  to 
their  acceptance  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  than  the  out- 
rages and  contempt  which  they  suffer  in  America.  A 
paragraph  from  their  most  eloquent  appeal  to  Congress 
shows  this:  “Heaven  brought  forth  one  Jesus,  and 
ordained  him  to  be  a teacher  in  foreign  lands.  Now 
Jesus  also  (as  well  as  Confucius)  taught  mankind  the 
fear  of  Heaven.  He  showed  that  the  chief  end  is  to 
pray  for  eternal  life.  He  comprehended  the  reverence 
due  to  Heaven,  and  the  obligations  of  virtue.  He  was 
in  accord  with  the  holy  men  of  China.  He  looked  on 
all  beneath  the  sky  as  one  great  family.  He  did  not 
permit  distinctions  of  men  into  classes  to  be  loved  or 
despised.  But  now,  if  the  religion  of  Jesus  really 
teaches  the  fear  of  Heaven,  how  does  it  come  that  people 
of  your  honorable  country,  on  the  contrary,  trample 
upon  and  hate  the  race  which  Heaven  most  loves,  that 
is|  the  Chinese  ? Should  this  not  be  called  rebellion 
against  Heaven  ? And  how  is  it  possible  to  receive  this 
as  of  the  religion  of  Heaven  ?” 

“The  question  of  the  preparatory  qualifications  neces- 
sary for  citizenship  in  the  case  of  the  Chinese,  is  one  of 
the  most  serious  that  has  come  before  the  people  of  the 
United  States.  The  continent  will,  in  the  course  of  time, 
be  occupied  by  millions  of  them.  They  are  naturally 
one  of  the  shrewdest  races  in  the  world.  Scarcely  any 
other  race  can  compare  with  them  in  capacity  for  organ- 
ization, and  in  adroitness  in  political  management.  No 
question  relating  to  the  African  race  is  a hundredth  part 
so  important  as  that  which  fixes  the  political  power  of 
the  Chinese. 

“An  intelligent  acquaintance  with  our  institutions  and 


306 


THE  ORIENT 


principles  should  be  made  imperative  where  application 
is  made  for  the  prhdlege  of  naturalization,  and  the  con- 
verse duty  is  obligatory  upon  us  of  affording  all  possible 
aid  in  the  way  of  schools  and  other  educational  advanta- 
ges. And  the  warning  cannot  be  given  in  language  too 
strong,  that  if  these  claims  of  reason,  humanity  and 
patriotism  be  despised,  the  hereditary  jealousies  of  their 
native  districts  and  clans,  the  unavoidable  control  of  the 
masses  of  them,  by  those  most  acquainted  with  our  laws 
and  customs,  the  tricks  of  our  politicians;  their  untaught 
passions,  and  their  uncorrected  fears,  will  inflict  upon  us 
severe  and  not  unmerited  retribution.” 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


307 


AN  EMPEROR’S  EDICT. 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  the  great  Kang-hi  sat  upon 
the  throne  in  China.  For  sixty  years  he  reigned  as  a 
father  over  his  people,  enacting  many  wise  laws,  and 
encouraging  every  art,  industry,  or  branch  of  learning 
which  he  thought  might  enrich  his  country  or  benefit  his 
people.  Of  all  the  books  written  or  published  by  the 
rulers  of  China  for  the  instruction  or  improvement  of  the 
Chinese,  none  has  exerted  so  great  an  influence  as  the 
Shing- Yu,  or  Sacred  Edicts  of  Kang-hi.  He  commanded 
that  these  sixteen  discourses  should  be  read  twice  a 
month  in  public  halls,  that  no  one  need  be  ignorant  of  the 
rules  of  morality  and  justice  published  by  the  Emperor. 
Students  are  required  to  commit  the  whole  book  to  mem- 
ory, and  at  the  examinations  to  write,  without  a single 
error,  any  given  portion  of  it.  The  seventh  discourse, 
of  which  the  following  is  an  extract,  has  had  a great 
influence  in  making  the  literary  men  unbelievers  in  the 
idolatries  of  Buddhism  and  Tauism: 

“You  simple  people  know  not  how  to  discriminate ; for 
even  according  to  what  the  books  of  Buddha  say,  he  was 
the  first  born  son  of  the  King  Fan;  but,  retiring  from  the 
world,  he  fled  away  alone  to  the  top  of  the  Snowy 
Mountains,  in  order  to  cultivate  virtue.  If  he  regarded 
not  his  own  father,  mother,  wife,  and  children,  are  you 
such  fools  as  to  suppose  that  he  regards  the  multitude 
of  the  living,  or  would  deliv'er  his  laws  and  doctrines  to 


308 


THE  ORIENT 


you  ? The  imperial  residence,  the  queen’s  palace,  the 
dragon’s  chamber,  and  the  halls  of  state — if  he  rejected 
these,  is  it  not  marvelous  to  suppose  that  he  should  delight 
in  the  nunneries,  monasteries,  temples,  and  religious 
houses,  which  you  can  build  for  him  ? As  to  the  Gem- 
meous  Emperor,  the  most  honorable  in  heaven,  if  there 
be  indeed  such  a god,  it  is  strange  to  think  he  should  not 
enjoy  himself  at  his  own  ease  in  the  high  heavens,  but 
must  have  you  give  him  a body  of  molten  gold,  and  build 
him  a house  to  dwell  in  ! 

“All  these  nonsensical  tales  about  keeping  fasts,  col- 
lecting assemblies,  building  temples,  and  fashioning 
images,  are  feigned  by  those  sauntering,  worthless  priests 
and  monks  to  deceive  you.  Still  }'ou  believe  them,  and 
not  only  go  yourselves  to  worship  and  burn  incense  in 
the  temples,  but  also  suffer  }'Our  wives  and  daughters 
to  go.  With  their  hair  oiled,  and  faces  painted,  dressed 
in  scarlet,  and  trimmed  with  green,  they  go  to  burn 
incense  in  the  temples,  associating  with  the  priests  of 
Buddha,  doctors  of  Reason,  and  barestick  attorneys, 
touching  shoulders,  rubbing  arms,  and  pressed  in  the 
moving  crowd.  I see  not  where  the  good  they  talk  of 
doing  is;  on  the  contrary,  they  do  many  shameful  things 
that  create  vexation,  and  give  people  occasion  for  laughter 
and  ridicule. 

“Further,  there  are  some  persons,  who,  fearing  that 
their  good  boys  and  girls  may  not  attain  to  maturity, 
take  and  give  them  to  the  temples,  to  become  priests 
and  priestesses  of  Buddha  and  Reason;  supposing  that 
after  having  removed  them  from  their  own  houses,  and 
placed  them  at  the  foot  of  grandfather  Fiih  (Buddha) 
they  are  then  sure  of  prolonging  life  ! Now  I would 


Ayn  ITS  PEOPLE. 


309 


ask  you,  if  those  who  in  this  age  are  priests  of  these  sects, 
all  reach  the  age  of  seventy  or  eighty,  and  that  there  is 
not  a short-lived  person  among  them  ? 

“Again,  there  is  another  very  stupid  class  of  persons, 
who,  because  their  parents  are  sick,  pledge  their  own 
persons  by  a vow  before  the  gods,  that  if  their  parents 
be  restored  to  health,  they  will  worship  and  burn  incense 
on  the  hiUs,  prostrating  themselves  at  every  step,  till  they 
arrive  at  the  summit,  whence  they  will  dash  themselves 
down  ? If  they  do  not  lose  their  lives,  they  are  sure  to 
break  a leg  or  an  arm.  They  say  themselves,  ‘To  give 
up  our  own  lives  to  save  our  parents,  is  the  highest  dis- 
play of  filial  duty  ?’  Bystanders  also  praise  them  as 
dutiful  children,  but  they  do  not  consider  that  to  slight 
the  bodies  received  from  their  parents,  in  this  manner, 
discovers  an  extreme  want  of  filial  duty. 

“Moreover,  you  say  that  serving  Fuh  is  a profitable 
service;  that  if  you  burn  paper  money,  present  offer- 
ings, and  keep  fasts  before  the  face  of  your  god  Fuh,  he 
will  dissipate  calamities,  blot  out  your  sins,  increase  your 
happiness,  and  prolong  your  age  ! Now  reflect,  from 
of  old  it  has  been  said,  ‘The  gods  are  intelligent  and 
just.’  Were  Buddha  a god  of  this  description,  how 
could  he  avariciously  desire  your  gilt  paper,  and  your 
offerings,  to  engage  him  to  afford  you  protection  ? If 
you  do  not  burn  gilt  paper  to  him,  and  spread  offerings 
on  his  altar,  the  god  Fuh  will  be  displeased  with  you, 
and  send  down  judgments  on  you  ! Then  }'our  god 
Fuh  is  a scoundrel!  Take,  for  example,  the  district 
magistrate.  Should  you  never  go  to  compliment  and 
ffatter  him,  yet,  if  you  are  good  people,  and  attend  to 
your  duty,  he  w'ill  pay  marked  attention  to  }'ou.  But 


310 


THE  ORIENT 


transgress  the  law,  commit  violence,  or  usurp  the  rights 
of  others,  and  though  you  should  use  a thousand  ways 
and  means  to  flatter  him,  he  will  still  be  displeased  with 
you,  and  will,  without  fail,  remove  such  pests  from 
society. 

“You  say  that  worshipping  Fiih  atones  for  your  sins. 
Suppose  you  have  violated  the  law,  and  "are  hauled  to 
the  judgment  seat  to  be  punished;  if  you  should  bawl 
out  several  thousand  times,  ‘O  your  excellency  ! O your 
excellency  !’  do  you  think  the  magistrate  would  spare 
you  ? You  will,  however,  at  all  risks,  invite  several 
Buddhist  and  Rationalist  priests  to  your  houses,  to  recite 
their  canonical  books  and  make  confession,  supposing 
that  to  chant  their  mummery  drives  away  misery,  secures 
peace,  and  prolongs  happiness  and  life.  But  suppose  you 
rest  satisfied  with  merely  reading  over  the  sections  of 
these  Sacred  commands  several  thousands  or  myriads 
of  times,  without  acting  conformably  thereto,  would  it 
not  be  vain  to  suppose  that  his  imperial  majesty  should 
delight  in  you,  reward  with  money,  or  promote  you  to 
office 


A2s'D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


311 


CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  IN  CHINA. 

In  no  mission  field  have  the  hindrances  to  the  propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel  seemed  greater  than  in  China.  In 
no  other  field  have  those  hindrances  more  largely  been 
the  fruit  of  the  unholy  lives  and  infamous  deeds  of  pro- 
fessedly Christian  people  and  nations.  From  our  stand- 
point, some  of  the  principal  barriers  to  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  among  the  Chinese,  are  apparently  as 
follows: 

The  intense  pride  of  the  Chinese  in  their  nation, 
antiquity,  and  learning,  which  precludes  all  curiosity  and 
inquiry  concerning  newer  or  less  popular  beliefs.  The 
utter  materialism  of  the  Chinese,  which  discerns  no 
motive  for  goodness  or  self-sacrifice,  except  as  it  may 
result  in  temporal  good,  is  one  of  the  great  barriers  to 
their  desire  for,  or  acceptance  of  a more  spiritual  life. 
The  deep  depravity  of  heart  and  life,  covered  over  as  it 
is  with  pompous  courtesy,  induces  a form  of  self-right- 
eousness most  difficult  to  affect.  The  acquirement  of 
the  language  long  seemed  an  obstacle,  but  that  is  no 
longer  considered,  since  missionaries  of  all  denominations 
save  the  Roman  Catholic,  have  mastered  it.  The  lan- 
guage itself,  however,  presents  serious  difficulties,  as  all 
the  conceptions  of  the  Chinese  mind  are  essentially 
earthly.  Among  all  the  forty  thousand  words  of  their 
tongue,  capable  of  expressing  every  shade  of  human 


312 


THE  ORIENT 


passion  and  vice,  in  which  the  tenets  of  three  religions 
are  taught,  there  is  no  word  clearly  expressing  the  idea 
of  God  as  a Supreme  Divinity,  nor  “suitable  phraseology 
to  describe  one  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit.”  Many 
portions  of  the  best  translations  of  the  Bible  are  unintel- 
ligible to  the  Chinese  reader,  as  new  combinations  of 
words  have  been  necessarily  introduced,  to  express  ideas 
entirely  foreign  to  their  minds.  The  Bible  in  China 
needs,  more  than  in  any  other  land,  the  oral  interpreter, 
to  explain  not  onl}’  its  teachings,  but  the  ideas  of  God, 
heaven,  eternal  life,  all  the  fundamental  principles  that 
underlie  its  rules  of  action. 

Viewed  from  the  Chinaman’s  standpoint,  the  obstacles 
to  his  acceptance,  or  even  consideration,  of  Christianity, 
seem  still  greater,  and  more  difficult  to  overcome.  Their 
reasons  are  based  upon  what  they  have  seen  of  the  evil 
lives  of  adventurers  and  unworthy  representatives  of 
Christian  nations ; upon  what  they  have  suffered  in  cruel 
and  unjust  wars,  and  what  they  do  daily  suffer  from  the 
infamous  opium  trade,  forced  upon  them  through  the 
unholy  greed  of  Christian  nations.  These  reasons  are 
set  forth  in  a tract  written  by  a Chinese,  and  translated 
by  Mr.  Medhurst.  He  declared  “that  it  was  monstrous 
in  barbarians  to  attempt  to  improve  the  inhabitants  of 
the  celestial  empire,  when  they  were  so  miserably 
deficient  themselves.  Thus,  introducing  among  the 
Chinese  a poisonous  drug,  for  their  own  benefit,  to  the 
injury  of  others,  the}"  were  deficient  in  benevolence; 
sending  their  fleets  and  armies  to  rob  other  nations  of 
their  possessions,  they  could  make  no  pretentions  to  rec- 
titude; allowing  men  and  women  to  mix  in  society  and 
walk  arm  through  the  streets,  they  showed  that  they 


Aim  ITS  PEOPLE. 


313 


had  not  the  least  sense  of  propriety;  and  in  rejecting 
the  doctrines  of  the  ancient  kings,  they  were  far  from 
displaying  wisdom;  indeed,  truth  was  the  only  good 
quality  to  which  they  could  lay  the  least  claim.  Deficient, 
therefore,  in  four  out  of  the  five  cardinal  virtues,  how 
could  they  expect  to  renovate  others  ? Then,  while 
foreigners  lavished  money  in  circulating  books  for  the 
renovation  of  the  age,  they  made  no  scruple  of  trampling 
printed  paper  under  foot,  by  which  they  showed  their 
disrespect  for  the  inventors  of  letters.  Further,  these 
would-be  exhorters  of  the  world  were  themselves 
deficient  in  filial  piety,  forgetting  their  parents  as  soon 
as  dead,  putting  them  oft'  with  deal  coffins  only  an  inch 
thick,  and  never  so  much  as  once  sacrificing  to  their 
manes,  or  burning  the  smallest  trifle  of  gilt  paper  for 
their  support  in  the  future  world.  Lastly,  they  allowed 
the  rich  and  noble  to  enter  office  without  passing  through 
any  literary  examinations,  and  did  not  throw  open  the 
road  to  advancement  to  the  poorest  and  meanest  in  the 
land.  From  all  these  it  appeared  that  foreigners  were 
inferior  to  Chinese,  and  therefore  most  unfit  to  instruct 
them.” 

We  may  smile  at  some  of  these  objections  to  foreign 
teachers,  but  they  are  not  to  be  lightly  set  aside.  With 
the  inborn  sense  of  justice  that  God  has  implanted  in 
every  human  heart,  and  the  ideas  of  propriety  and  decency 
which  the  customs  of  thousands  of  years  have  instilled, 
these  reasons,  to  the  Chinese,  are  weighty  and  powerful 
almost  past  our  comprehension.  They  are  far  more 
important  to  them  than  any  reasons,  not  purely  moral 
and  religious,  that  we  may  hold  for  wishing  to  ’ give 
them  our  Christianity  and  civilization,  as,  for  instance, 


314 


THE  OEIEST 


their  utter  lack  of  cleanliness  or  sanitary  measures,  their 
bondage  to  the  superstitions  of  Fung  Shwuy,  their 
want  of  aU  means  of  rapid  transit  or  communication  by 
telegraph  or  railroad,  or  their  barbarous  methods  oi 
punishment.  Our  seeming  disrespect  of  ancestors  is  to 
the  Chinese  one  of  their  most  serious  objections  to 
Christian  people  and  teachings,  and  the  renunciation  of 
no  heathen  custom  brings  greater  reproach  or  trial  to 
the  Chinese  convert,  than  the  failure  to  worship  the 
ancestral  tablets. 

St.  Thomas,  who  traveled  farther  on  his  missionary 
tours  than  St.  Paul,  is  said  to  have  preached  the  Gospel 
in  China.  The  first  Christian  mission  to  China,  of  which 
we  have  any  authentic  record,  was  that  of  the  Nestorians, 
begun  about  the  }'ear  A.  d.  505.  For  over  six  hundred 
years,  the  Nestorians  labored  in  China,  making  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  converts,  some  of  them  persons  in 
high  office.  Marco  Polo,  who  went  to  China  in  the  year 
1274,  and  spent  seventeen  years  there  among  the  people, 
part  of  the  time  holding  office  at  the  court,  speaks  of  the 
Nestorians  as  numerous,  respected,  and  long  established, 
though  at  that  time  fallen  considerably  under  the  influ- 
ence of  heathenism.  In  the  year  1369,  when  the  Mon- 
gols were  expelled  from  China,  the  Nestorians  ceased 
missionary  effort.  Eventually  their  churches  fell  away, 
and  their  religion  was  forgotten.  The  only  trace  of 
them  that  now  remains  is  a monument  in  Singau  Fu,  in 
Shensi.  This  monument  was  erected  A.  d.  781,  and 
bears  a long  inscription  in  Chinese  and  Syriac,  recording 
the  successes  of  the  Nestorians.  The  translation  of  it 
may.be  found  in  Williams’  Middle  Kingdom.  A late 
writer  “suggests,  that  the  ‘Nameless  Sect’  in  China, 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


315 


which  has  frequently  shown  a friendly  spirit  to  Protest- 
ant missions,  may  be  a remnant  of  the  wide-spread  Nes- 
torian  work.  The  followers  of  this  sect  are  ver}^  numer- 
ous in  China,  particularly  in  the  province  of  Shantung, 
and  are  intensely  disliked  by  the  authorities.  Their 
religion  is  said  to  have  come  from  the  West,  from 
whence  they  also  expect  a deliverance.  They  do  not 
worship  idols,  and  have  a religious  form  resembling  the 
Lord’s  Supper.” 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  Romish 
missions  were  first  established  in  China.  One  of  the 
earliest  missionaries  of  that  church,  Corvino,  seems  to 
have  been  an  earnest  and  devout  man,  who  did  consid- 
erable good.  His  work,  however,  was  in  the  Tartar 
language,  among  the  Mongols,  who  were  at  that  time 
the  ruling  power  in  China,  and  did  not  reach  the  native 
Chinese.  Upon  the  expulsion  of  the  Mongols,  the  priests 
and  their  adherents  were  scattered  and  lost. 

From  that  time  until  1851,  the  missions  of  the  Roman 
Church  were  feeble  and  fluctuating,  leaving  scarce  any 
record.  After  preaching  in  India  and  Japan,  Francis 
Xavier  resolved  to  carry  the  Gospel  into  China,  but  died 
upon  a small  island  ofl'the  coast.  In  1581  Matteo  Ricci 
established  himself  at  Canton,  and  by  his  policy,  accom- 
phshments,  and  wily  suavity,  gained  a foothold  for  him- 
self and  his  coadjutors.  His  religion  was  of  the  flimsiest 
sort,  as  he  allowed  ancestral  worship,  also  that  his  fol- 
lowers should  join  in  idol  processions  and  worship,  pro- 
vided that  they  bowed  before  the  symbol  of  the  cross 
hidden  by  flowers.  While  the  Jesuits  extolled  him,  the 
stricter  sects  of  Romish  priests  were  at  constant  variance 
with  him.  One  of  them  speaks  of  him  in  the  following 


316 


THE  ORIENT 


terms:  “The  king  found  in  him  a man  full  of  complais- 
ance; the  pagans  a minister  who  accommodated  himself 
to  their  superstitions;  the  mandarins  a polite  courtier, 
skilled  in  all  the  trickery  of  courts,  and  the  devil  a faith- 
ful servant,  who,  far  from  destroying,  established  his 
reign  among  the  heathen,  and  even  extended  it  to  the 
Christians.”  The  hundred  and  fifty  years  following 
Ricci’s  entrance  to  China,  was  the  most  prosperous  period 
of  the  Roman  missions.  Adam  Schaal,  a German  Jes- 
uit, became  the  tutor  of  the  Emperor,  and  a chief  minis- 
ter of  State.  Many  converts  were  made  among  the  rich 
and  noble.  Occasional  severe  persecutions  arose,  some- 
times because  the  Jesuits  were  gaining  too  much  politi- 
cal power,  and  sometimes  as  a result  of  the  violent  and 
disgraceful  quarrels  between  the  Jesuits,  who  followed 
Ricci’s  principles,  and  the  Dominicans  and  Franciscans, 
who  considered  him  disloyal  to  religion  and  the  Pope. 

The  Emperor  Kang-hai,  who  died  in  1722,  after  a 
reign  of  sixty-one  years,  denounced  every  form  of  idol- 
atry in  the  strongest  terms,  and  also  commands  his  people 
concerning  the  Romish  missionaries,  as  follows:  “Even 
this  sect,  who  talk  about  heaven  and  prate  about  earth, 
and  of  things  without  shadow  and  without  substance — 
their  religion  also,  is  unsound  and  corrupt.  But  because 
the  teachers  of  this  sect  understand  astronomy,  and  are 
skilled  in  mathematics,  the  government  employs  them  to 
correct  the  calendar.  This,  however,  by  no  means 
implies  that  their  religion  is  a good  one.  You  should 
not  on  any  account  believe  them.  The  law  is  very  rigor- 
ous against  these  left-hand-road  and  side-door  sects. 
Their  punishment  is  determined  in  the  same  way  as  that 
of  the  masters  and  mistresses  of  your  dancing  gods,  or 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


31T 


your  male  and  female  conjurors.”  In  17241110  Emperor 
Yung-ching  issued  an  edict  forbidding  the  propagation 
of  the  Tien  Chu  kiau,  or  religion  of  the  Lord  of  Heaven, 
and  banishing  all  missionaries  from  the  country  save 
those  needed  at  Peking  for  scientific  purposes.  Since 
that  time  they  have  experienced  various  degrees  ot 
quiet  and  storm,  but  their  influence  and  numbers  have 
been  constantly  decreasing. 

The  Rev.  Robert  Morrison  stands  father  of  Protestant 
missions  to  China.  His  course  presents  a marked  con- 
trast to  that  of  either  the  Nestorian  or  the  Romish  mis- 
sionaries. He  sought  neither  power  nor  influence  from 
the  rich  or  the  great.  In  1807  he  entered  Canton  as 
agent  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  He  lived  in  a 
quiet  and  unobtrusive  manner,  in  a room  in  an  American 
factory,  adopted  the  Chinese  customs,  discarded  the 
society  of  foreigners,  and  sought  only  the  acquaintance 
of  the  Chinese.  His  first  object  was  to  translate  the 
Scriptures  and  compile  a dicttonary.  A better  under- 
standing of  his  position  induced  him  to  resume  his  own 
dress,  and  to  mingle  more  with  foreigners.  He  never 
preached,  except  to  a small  congregation  in  his  own 
house.  He  baptized  his  first  convert  in  1814.  Besides 
his  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  his  Chinese  dictionary, 
“more  comprehensive  and  correct  than  any  preceding 
one,”  he  published  a number  of  works  in  Chinese  and 
English.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  labored  in  China, 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  alone.  Though  his  work 
was  quietly  done,  without  show  or  ostentation,  his  name 
and  influence  for  the  last  sixty  years  have  been  a mis- 
sionary stimulus  the  world  round. 

Morrison’s  labors  were  pursued  amid  the  greatest 


THE  ORIENT 


318 

difficulties  and  discouragements,  but  with  the  most  sub- 
lime faith.  In  China  itself  he  had  but  three  assistants, 
and  those  only  for  the  latter  part  of  the  twenty-seven 
years  of  his  work.  “After  all  his  toil,  and  faith,  and 
prayer,  he  saw  only  three  or  four  converts,  no  churches, 
schools,  or  congregations,  publicly  assembled;  but  his 
last  letter  breathes  the  same  desires  as  when  he  first  went 
out.  ‘I  wait  patiently  the  events  to  be  developed  in  the 
course  of  Divine  Providence.  The  Lord  reigneth.  If 
the  Kingdom  of  God  our  Savior  prospers  in  China,  all 
will  be  well;  other  matters  are  comparatively  of  small 
importance.’  ” 

It  was  not  until  1844,  ten  years  after  Morrison’s 
death,  that  there  was  any  promise  of  toleration  for  the 
“Religion  of  the  Lord  of  Heaven”,  or  of  safety  to  its 
missionaries.  At  that  time  the  French  made  a treaty 
with  the  Chinese,  in  which  it  was  agreed  that  mission- 
aries and  Christians  might  live  in  five  of  the  seaport 
towns.  It  was  not  until  i860,  however,  that  the  Chinese 
made  treaties  with  the  American,  English,  French,  and 
Russian  governments,  that  China  felt  bound  to  respect, 
and  which  permitted  missionaries  to  travel  and  preach  in 
the  interior. 

The  early  missionaries  were  obliged  to  find  homes 
and  opportunities  for  work  among  Chinese  emigrants, 
on  the  islands  along  the  coast.  That  work  was  never 
very  successful,  owing  to  the  fluctuating  character  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  has  been  almost  entirely  given  up,  in 
favor  of  the  greater  opportunities  opened  by  the  treaties. 
There  are  at  present  thirty  missionary  societies  repre- 
sented in  China.  Thirteen  of  these  are  American,  twelve 
British,  and  the  remainder  European.  Of  the  436  mis- 


AXD  ITS  PEOPLE. 


319 


sionaries  laboring  in  China,  more  than  half  are  women. 
About  thirty  native  ordained  preachers,  and  over  six 
hundred  native  agents  of  all  kinds,  are  endeavoring,  in 
preaching,  teaching,  Bible  and  tract  distribution,  to  bring 
their  fellow  countrymen  to  Christ.  Ten  thousand  church 
members  are  reported  by  the  Protestant  missionary 
societies.  The  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Mandarin 
dialect,  the  language  of  the  common  people  of  the  great 
North,  and  the  dialect  used  by  scholars  throughout 
China,  probably  carries  the  Word  of  God  to  more  mil- 
lions of  human  hearts  than  any  other  version  save  the 
English. 

The  history  of  missions  in  China  furnishes  many 
examples  of  the  most  earnest,  prolonged,  and  successful 
missionary  labors.  Dr.  Milne,  Dr.  Medhurst,  and  Mr. 
Stronach,  were  the  chief  members  of  the  committee  for 
the  revision  of  the  Bible,  and  this  they  accomplished,  in 
addition  to  other  labors  innumerable.  Dr.  Bridgman, 
for  sixteen  years,  besides  preaching,  teaching,  and  trans- 
lating, edited  the  “Chinese  Repository,”  a most  valuable 
depository  of  information  concerning  China  and  its 
people.  David  Abeel  in  apostolic  labors  laid  down  his 
life  for  China,  and  in  his  earnest  appeals,  both  in  Eng- 
land and  America,  for  China,  aroused  in  many  hearts  a 
living,  working  interest  in  Chinese  missions.  He  was 
the  first  to  urge  the  necessity  of  Women’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Societies.  Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams,  in  over  forty 
years  of  labor  for  China,  has  accomplished  a work  that 
will  bear  fruit  for  generations  to  come.  Many  other  names 
might  be  mentioned,  did  space  permit,  of  noble  men  and 
women,  who  toiled  long  years  in  China,  who  gave  up 
native  land,  friends,  health,  and  even  life  itself,  that  China 


320 


THE  ORIEET 


might  be  redeemed,  and  were  not  permitted  to  see  the 
first  fruits,  the  promise  of  a glorious  harvest  of  souls, 
which  we  see.  At  the  desk,  among  type  and  printing 
presses,  in  hospitals,  treating  loathsome  diseases,  com- 
bating ignorance  and  superstition  in  small  schools,  teach- 
ing not  only  the  learning  of  books,  but  the  first  princi- 
ples of  cleanliness  and  godliness,  those  noble  souls  toiled, 
and  finally  went  to  their  rest,  praising  God  for  the  privi- 
lege of  being  at  least  seed  sowers.  We  look  over  to 
China,  and  what  do  we  see  ? A glorious  company  of 
Chinese  Christians,  testifying,  by  their  daily  lives,  b}'^ 
their  self-sacrifice,  and  their  constanc}^  under  persecu- 
tion, their  genuine  faith  in  Christ. 

As  the  Chinese  see  more  of  the  lives,  and  hear  more 
of  the  preaching  of  the  missionaries,  as  they  come  to 
understand  that  they  are  not  seeking  wealth,  or  political 
power,  that  they  are  entirely  anti-opium,  as  well  as 
opposed  to  all  forms  of  vice  and  superstition,  as  they  see 
the  upright,  peaceful  lives  of  the  converts,  they  acknowl- 
edge the  beneficent  eftbrts  and  effects  of  Christianity. 
The  Chinese  government  in  the  treaties  of  i860,  dis- 
tinctly expresses,  in  four  separate  articles,  its  faith  in 
Christianity,  as  pure,  peaceable,  and  virtuous.  Quite 
recentl}',  an  important  proclamatioVi  has  been  issued  by 
the  Foreign  Office  at  Foochow,  China,  explanatory  ol 
the  rights  of  Christians,  as  established  by  the  treaties 
with  foreign  powers.  It  declares:  (i)  That  contributions 
levied  on  Christians  for  processions,  temples,  theatrical 
exhibitions,  etc.,  are  illegal;  Christians  who  refuse  to  pay 
such  contributions  are  not  to  be  molested.  (2)  The 
right  of  foreigners  to  leased  houses  and  chapels  in  the 
cities  and  villages,  is  not  to  be  questioned.  (3)  Chris- 


Ali^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


321 


tians  are  to  be  treated  with  propriety.  (4)  The  term 
“barbarian”  cannot  be  lawfully  applied  to  foreigners.  (5) 
It  is  perfectly  legal  for  foreigners  to  liv'e  inland  in  the 
departments,  districts,  cities,  and  villages,  and  they  must 
not  be  annoyed. 

The  literati  in  the  province  of  Canton  have  been  so 
impressed  by  the  work  and  effect  of  Christian  mission- 
aries, that  they  formed  a society,  called  the  “Society  of 
Sustaining  Love,”  opened  six  preaching  places  for  the 
proclamation  of  the  doctrines  of  Confucius,  established 
some  twenty  free  schools,  and  opened  a hospital  with 
four  attending  physicians.  One  of  these  societies  during 
its  first  year  raised  $125,000,  another  received  $75,000. 

The  number  of  converts  is  growing  in  a constantly 
increasing  ratio.  At  Ningpo,  where  twenty  years  ago 
there  were  but  twenty  native  Christians,  there  are  now 
between  four  and  five  hundred,  and  six  organized 
churches  in  the  vicinity,  some  of  them  self-supporting. 
Who  can  wonder  at  such  increase,  when  testimony  like 
the  following  comes  from  Ningpo. 

A man  of  respectability  and  means  came  into  the 
preaching-room  of  the  mission,  and  said  that  he  had 
never  heard  the  Gospel,  but  had  seen  it.  “I  know  a 
man,”  he  said,  “who  used  to  be  the  terror  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. If  you  gave  him  a hard  word,  he  would 
shout  at  you  and  curse  you  for  two  days  and  two  nights 
without  ceasing.  He  was  as  dangerous  as  a wild  beast, 
and  a bad  opium  smoker.  But  when  the  religion  of 
Jesus  took  hold  of  him,  he  became  wholly  changed. 
Gentle,  not  soon  angry,  moral,  and  his  opium  was  left 
off".  Truly,  the  doctrine  is  good.” 

The  Methodist  mission  waited  ten  years  for  the  first 


322 


THE  ORIENT 


convert,  now  they  report  some  two  thousand.  When 
we  look  at  the  character  of  those  converts,  what  wonder 
that  souls  are  dail}"  added.  One  man,  while  at  Peking, 
to  attend  a literary  examination,  heard  the  Gospel  at  a 
Methodist  chapel,  was  converted  and  baptized,  when  he 
returned  to  his  own  village,  four  hundred  miles  distant, 
and  began  to  preach  Christ,  first  to  his  own  family,  and 
then  in  the  various  towns  within  a circle  of  twenty  miles. 
In  a few  weeks  his  son  set  out  for  Peking  on  foot,  bear- 
ing with  him  the  names  of  a number  of  persons  desiring 
to  become  Christians.  Ting  Mi  Ai,  an  unmarried  man, 
was  appointed  to  a poor  circuit  with  five  appointments. 
He  believed  that  his  support  should  come  from  his  peo- 
ple, rather  than  from  the  Board  in  America.  For  one 
year  he  received  about  twenty-one  dollars.  When  his 
brethren  expressed  their  s}'mpathy  for  him  in  his  pov- 
erty, and  wished  to  take  up  a collection  for  him,  he  said, 
“It  is  all  well,  life  still  remains,  sinners  are  converted, 
and  I am  content.”  The  collection  of  two  dollars  he 
could  scarce  be  persuaded  to  take,  because  it  did  not 
come  from  his  people.  Others  with  him  are  ready  to 
suffer  and  to  want,  that  when  they  preach,  they  need 
not  meet  the  reproach  of  the  heathen  that  “their  mouths 
are  bought,”  or  that  “they  eat  foreign  rice,”  and  hence 
their  words  are  unworthy  of  attention,  being  spoken 
only  for  gain.  Out  of  the  largeness  of  their  hearts  they 
find  still  another  reason  for  refusing,  as  far  as  possible, 
support  from  the  Board  in  America.  Hu  Po  Mi  says; 
“We  can  only  have  the  light  of  the  sun  for  twelve  hours; 
then  it  must  go  on  to  shine  on  other  nations.  We  have 
basked  in  the  light  of  the  Missionary  Society  our  full 
time  now;  we  must  let  it  go  to  shine  upon  the  lands  that 


vLYZ>  ITS  PEOPLE. 


323 


are  still  in  darkness,  waiting  for  it.”  The  converts  on 
no  mission  field  sufter  greater  pecuniary  loss  than  the 
native  Christians  of  China.  They  cannot  serve  as  gov- 
ernment officers,  as  heathen  and  idolatrous  rites  are 
demanded  of  them.  In  the  service  of  their  heathen 
countrymen,  they  are  unable  to  observe  the  Sabbath,  if 
they  follow  trades,  or  have  shops  of  their  own,  they  lose 
customers  by  closing  their  business  on  Sunday,  and  yet, 
notwithstanding  the  disabilities  and  losses  of  the  mem- 
bership, nowhere  have  mission  churches  been  more  zeal- 
ous to  become  self-supporting. 

Scattered  up  and  down  the  coast  of  China,  from  Can- 
ton to  Kalgan,  two  thousand  miles  northward,  are  these 
few  Christians,  striving  to  live  pure  and  upright  lives 
among  the  millions  of  corrupt,  bribing,  lying  idolaters ; 
in  times  of  peace  proclaiming  Christ  by  their  lives  and 
words,  and  giving  of  their  poverty  for  the  support  of  the 
Gospel,  but  under  persecution  showing  the  true  spirit  of 
the  martyrs,  bearing  stripes,  stoning,  imprisonment, 
revilings,  the  destruction  of  their  property,  and  sometimes 
laying  down  their  lives  for  Christ’s  sake  and  the  Gospel’s, 
with  Christian  forbearance  and  fortitude. 

We  may  regard  with  pleasure  and  pride  the  work 
already  accomplished,  but  it  is  scarcely  sufficient  to 
bring  us  to  a realization  of  the  vast  work  yet  to  be  done, 
before  the  prophecy  concerning  the  Land  of  Sinim  shall 
be  fulfilled.  In  the  provinces  where  missions  are  already 
established,  there  is  not  one  ordained  minister  to  a million 
of  people — in  nine  inland  provinces  are  180,000,000  of 
Chinese,  and  not  a resident  missionary  among  them,  and 
still  beyond  these  lies  the  vaster  country  of  Chinese  Tar- 
tary, as  yet  unreached  by  the  remotest  effect  of  mission- 


324 


THE  ORIENT 


arj'  labor  or  teaching.  That  China  shall  yet  becorne  a 
Christian  nation,  that  the  teachings,  the  prejudices,  and 
behefs  that  for  the  last  two  thousand  years  have  been 
instilled  into  Chinese  minds,  shall  be  superseded  by  the 
principles  of  Christianity  seems  most  improbable,  but 
the  promises  of  God  are  sure  and  unfailing,  and  sooner 
or  later,  as  Christian  men  and  women,  God’s  chosen 
instruments  for  the  spread  of  his  Word,  are  active  and 
faithful,  shall  the  moral,  intellectual,  and  spiritual  dark- 
ness of  China’s  sons  and  daughters  be  dispelled. 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


326 


CHRISTIAN  WORK  AMONG  THE  WOMEN 
OF  CHINA. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  first  school  for  girls  at  Ning- 
po,  by  Miss  Aldersey,  at  the  close  of  the  war  between 
China  and  England,  the  missionaries’  wives  and  the 
single  ladies  sent  out  by  different  Boards,  have  kept  either 
day  or  boarding  schools,  wherever  possible.  The  attend- 
ance, however,  was  usually  very  small  and  fluctuating, 
as  the  Chinese  feared  greatly  the  influence  of  the  mis- 
sionaries  upon  their  daughters ; withdrawing  them  from 
school  as  soon  as  they  showed  any  particular  signs  of 
advancement  or  interest,  fearing  that  they  were  being 
made  Christians  through  witchcraft.  The  spiritual  con- 
dition and  needs  of  the  women  of  China  have  not  been 
so  clearly  or  forcibly  set  before  our  countrywomen,  as 
have  the  wants  of  women  of  some  other  heathen  nations. 
The  social  degradation  and  spiritual  darkness  of  the  mil- 
lions of  China’s  daughters  should  be  better  understood, 
and  larger  efforts  made  for  their  elevation. 

The  great  need  of  more  missionary  women  to  work 
among  the  women  of  China,  has  long  been  felt  by  the 
missionaries.  The  seclusion  of  the  women  precludes 
the  possibility  of  their  becoming  acquainted  with  Chris- 
tian doctrine  from  the  teachings  of  male  missionaries, 
and  the  powerful  influence  and  authority  exerted  by  the 
aged  and  bigoted  Chinese  women,  prevents  many 
Chinamen  who  are  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christian- 


326 


THE  ORIENT 


it}-  from  professing  Christ,  and  turns  back  to  idolatry 
many  weak  and  trembling  believers.  Dr.  David  Abeel 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  urge  in  America  the 
necessity  of  organizing  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Societies,  asa  means  of  arousing  the  interest  of  American 
women  in  behalf  of  their  heathen  sisters.  Dr.  S.  Wells 
Williams,  in  writing  of  the  importance  that  Christian 
women,  resident  in  China,  should  be  zealous  to  bring  its 
women  to  Christ,  says:  “The  influence  and  labors  of 
•female  missionaries  in  China  is,  from  the  constitution  of 
society  in  that  country,  likely  to  be  the  only,  or  principal 
means  of  reaching  their  sex  for  a long  time  to  come,  and 
it  is  desirable,  therefore,  that  they  should  engage  in  the 
work  by  learning  the  language,  and  making  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  families  around  them.  Female  schools  are 
the  necessai}'  complement  of  boys’,  and  a heathen  wife 
soon  carries  a man  back  to  idolatry,  if  he  is  only  intel- 
lectually con\-inced  of  the  truths  of  Christianity.”  China 
can  never  be  redeemed  from  idolatr}-  until  her  women 
are  delivered  from  the  superstitious  terrors  of  Buddhism 
and  Tauism,  until  they  are  raised  to  be  man’s  compan- 
ions, and  not  simply  his  drudges  or  dolls,  nor  until  she  is 
able  to  be  the  instructor  of  her  children.  “Elevate  the 
mother  and  the  whole  household  is  raised : gain  to  Christ 
some  Lois  or  Eunice,  and  a youthful  Timothy,  to  preach 
the  everlasting  Gospel,  may  be  given  us.” 

The  first  schools  for  girls  in  China  were  started  under 
great  difficulties.  The  earnest  missionar}-  women,  who 
collected  their  few  scholars,  sought  them  out  in  the 
highway's  and  bywavs,  and  brought  them  in  oy  promises 
of  presents  and  rewards.  Their  discouragements  were 
innumerable.  Not  unfrequently,  just  as  they  began  to 


AJS'^D  ITS  PEOPLE. 


327 


feel  that  possibly  their  efforts  might  result  in  some  good, 
they  found  their  little  school  rooms  empty;  some  strange 
story  of  witchcraft,  a petty  officer’s  command,  an  old 
wife’s  fears  and  predictions,  or  a prevailing  epidemic,  had 
scattered  the  little  ffock.  In  the  early  days  of  missionary 
labor  in  China,  the  women  could  not  go  into  the  chapels 
to  listen  to  preaching,  and  the  missionaries’  wives  held 
services  for  them  in  their  own  parlors.  Later,  screens 
placed  in  the  chapels  partitioned  off’  a space  lor  the  few 
native  Christian  women,  but  now  they  are  allowed  their 
proper  place.  In  Amoy  the  first  services  for  Chinese 
women  were  conducted  by  Mrs.  Young  in  1B45;  a year 
later,  she  began  a school  for  girls.  In  1847  Mrs.  Ball 
and  Mrs.  Happer  held  meetings  for  women  in  Canton, 
and  Mrs.  Bridgman  started  a school  for  girls.  Upon 
Mrs.  Bridgman’s  removal  to  Shanghai,  she  began  the 
first  school  for  girls  in  that  place,  in  1850.  Mrs.  Bridg- 
man’s work  for  China  was  long  and  full  of  interest.  In 
1844  she  went  to  China  as  Miss  Gillett,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  American  Episcopal  Board;  in  1846  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Dr.  Bridgman,  and  after  his  death,  she  still  gave 
her  life  and  labors  to  China.  Many  other  women,  of 
equal  work  and  devotion,  have  spent  their  best  years  in 
China,  whose  toils  and  successes  are  still  unrecorded. 
Of  fifteen  American  missionaries,  widows,  and  single 
women,  lately  resident  in  Peking,  an  English  missionary 
writes: 

“One  has  read  through  the  Four  Books — a task 
which  has  not  been  achieved  by  all  of  the  sterner  sex — 
and  has  thus  qualified  herself  for  high-class  instruction. 
Another  has  commenced  a Roman  orthography  to  save 
the  poor  from  needing  to  learn  the  Chinese  character 


328 


TUE  ORIENT 


before  they  can  read  the  Scriptures.  Others  speak  the 
language  with  remarkable  fluency  and  elegance.  Others 
have  begun  writing  Christian  books  needed  in  their 
work.  Of  the  whole  number,  two  have  become  married, 
one  to  a merchant — and  she  is  lost  to  missionary  work 
— the  other  to  a missionar}'  at  another  station,  where  she 
engages  in  mission  labors  more  efficiently  than  before. 
One  is  dead  (Mrs.  Bridgman),  leaving  behind  a fair 
name  for  devotedness  and  zeal,  such  as  have  not  been 
exceeded  in  China.  Sickness  or  approaching  old  age 
have  taken  back  two  to  their  native  country.  The  rest 
are  all  now  engaged  in  schools,  classes,  cottage  meet- 
ings, studying,  administering  medicine  (one  is  an  M.  D.) 
and  setting  an  example  of  what  Protestant  sisterhoods 
can  do  in  a city  where  there  is  unlimited  room  for 
women’s  work.” 

And  these  are  but  a few  of  a great  company  of  noble 
women  missionaries,  who  have  toiled  and  now  toil  for 
China’s  sons  and  daughters,  the  full  extent  of  whose  sac- 
rifice and  works  is  known  only  in  heavenl}’  records.  The 
work  among  the  women  of  China  has  been  and  must, 
be  for  man}’  years  to  come,  a time  of  plowing  up  of  fallow 
ground,  of  seed  sowing,  and  careful  watching.  The 
truth  has  taken  root  in  a few  hearts,  and  borne  precious 
fruit,  and  in  many  more  the  strength  of  superstition  is 
broken,  and  as  their  children  grow  up,  a mother’s  fears 
and  idolatry  will  not  withdraw  them  from  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven.  The  majority  of  girls  educated  in  the  mis- 
sion schools  are  married  to  heathen,  in  fulfillment  of  the 
early  betrothal.  A few  who  profess  Christianity  are 
able  to  remain  faithful,  but  the  majority  find  the  opposi- 
tion and  reproaches  of  heathen  friends,  and  the  require- 


liND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


329 


merits  of  idolatry,  greater  than  they  can  bear.  Mrs.  S. 
L.  Baldwin,  a missionary  in  Fiichau,  has  pictured  the 
oppressed  and  harrassed  condition  of  a Christian  China- 
man in  the  midst  of  a heathen  family.  If  the  man,  with 
his  greater  strength  and  authority,  finds  his  life  a burden, 
what  must  be  the  sore  strait  of  a woman  in  like  circum- 
stances. Mrs.  Baldwin  says: 

“But  suppose  that  the  truth  has  found  entrance  into 
the  heart;  that,  through  the  blessed  Spirit’s  enlighten- 
ment, the  man  sees  the  truth,  and  finds  in  it  that  for 
which  his  soul  longs,  and  which  his  most  zealous  idol 
worship  has  failed  to  give  him;  suppose  he  believes  in 
and  accepts  this  ‘foreign  doctrine,’  as  it  is  contemptu- 
ously called;  now,  what  has  he  before  him  ? Pretty 
certainly  the  determined  opposition  of  his  heathen 
friends.  First,  their  exhortations  to  return  to  the  faith  of 
his  fathers,  and  then  their  hatred  and  abuse,  amounting 
at  times  even  to  personal  violence.  Father  and  mother, 
brother  and  sister,  wife  and  children,  may  unite  to  make 
his  life  a burden  to  him.  He  is  regarded  often  by  them 
as  the  vilest  of  men;  as  one  who  has  forsaken  all  the 
time-honored  and  precious  customs  of  this  ancient  heath- 
enism, to  follow  the  empty  faith  and  customs  of  the  hated 
foreigner.  If  sickness,  sorrow,  or  calamity  of  any  kind 
come  to  the  family,  he  is  the  Jonah  who  has  brought 
down  the  wrath  of  the  gods ; if  a girl  is  born,  the  rice 
crop  fails,  or  the  potato  vines  yield  a meagre  crop,  this 
reprobate  is  the  occasion  ofit  all !” 

For  the  young  Christian  bride,  entering  a heathen 
husband’s  home,  there  awaits  not  only  threats,  hatred, 
and  revilings,  but  not  unfrequently  stripes  and  imprison- 
ment, and  sometimes  death.  But  we  should  not  regard 


330 


THE  ORIENT 


the  teaching  young  girls  may  receive  in  our  mission 
schools,  nor  the  efforts  of  our  missionaries,  as  lost  or 
wasted,  if,  under  severe  persecution,  or  the  constant 
scolding  by  the  husband  and  his  friends,  the  weak  young 
wife  gives  way  under  her  trial,  and  worships  the  house- 
hold gods  rather  than  live  in  a continual  quarrel.  Cast 
no  stone  upon  her  tried  soul,  O Christian  man  or  woman, 
you  who  join  in  sinful  pleasures  rather  than  appear  odd 
among  your  associates,  you  who  yield  your  idea  of  right 
or  wrong  in  small  matters,  rather  than  make  a fuss,  nor 
withhold  your  pittance  from  the  missionary  treasury  lest 
it  be  spent  upon  a vacillating  heathen.  Be  content, 
rather,  if  some  of  these  trembling,  wavering  young 
mothers,  teach  to  their  little  ones  the  well  remembered 
hymns,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  other  precious 
Bible  truths,  if  they  shall  teach  their  children  that  for- 
eigners are  not  all  “devils,”  that  the  “foreign  doctrine”  is 
the  truth,  and  so  unwittingly  “prepare  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  and  make  his  paths  straight”  in  the  hearts  of  a 
rising  generation.  The  Chinese  have  marvelous  mem- 
ories, and  their  children  in  this  respect  excel  any  but 
exceptional  American  children.  A missionary  on  a tour 
in  his  district,  writes  of  two  schools,  taught  by  Chinese 
women,  as  follows: 

“This  morning  we  examined  the  girls’  day  school. 
The  oldest  girl  repeated  the  first  twelve  hymsin  a steady 
voice,  and  without  the  slightest  hesitation.  We  were 
assured  that  she  could  go  through  the  entire  book  (con- 
taining about  one  hundred  hymns)  in  the  same  manner. 
Other  girls  repeated  hymns  and  the  Catechism  equally 
W'ell.  One  little  girl,  who  knew  the  whole  of  Matthew 
by  heart,  was  so  much  embarrassed  in  attempting  to 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


331 


recite  in  our  presence,  that  we  had  to  excuse  her.  After 
one  of  the  girls  had  recited,  I took  the  book  and  pointed 
to  various  characters  at  random,  to  see  whether  she 
knew  them.  She  answered  promptly  and  correctly 
every  time.  I observed  them  writing  also,  and  they 
seemed  to  be  making  satisfactory  progress.  * * * The 
Ung-le  Girls’  Day  School  was  quite  a feature  in  the 
meeting.  Eighteen  girls,  mostly  bright  looking  and 
well  dressed,  sat  along  one  side  of  the  room,  and  gave 
strict  attention  to  all  that  was  said.  Some  of  the  women 
had  curious  circular  head  ornaments,  made  of  a kind  of 
wicker  work.  The  chapel  was  well  filled,  and  the  peo- 
ple attentive  throughout.  Toward  evening  we  visited 
the  school.  One  girl  repeated  twenty-one  of  the  twenty- 
four  pages  ol  the  catechism  without  a mistake.  Others 
recited  in  Matthew,  and  the  Three  Character  Classic.” 
These  young  girls  may  be  bearers  of  glad  tidings  to  some 
sin-burdened  soul,  even  as  was  the  little  Hebrew  maid  to 
proud  Naaman. 

While  many  may  falter  and  faint  under  the  terrible 
pressure  of  heathenism,  and  the  weight  of  superstitious 
fears  that  were  bred  in  them  from  their  earliest  infancy, 
others  stand  fast  amid  the  severest  trials,  and  some  of  the 
best  fruit  of  missionary  labor  bas  been  found  among  the 
women  of  China.  They  receive  the  truth  more  readily 
than  the  men,  and  Christianity  is  a greater  boon  to  them; 
it  honors  their  womanhood,  and  they  no  longer  need  to 
plead  that  during  another  existence  they  may  be  men; 
when  their  loved  ones  die,  they  no  longer  feel  that  upon 
their  wailings,  fastings,  and  bribery  of  the  gods,  does  the 
salvation  of  the  dear  one  depend;  they  tremble  no  more 
before  the  malevolent  spirits  that  heathenism  teaches 


332 


THE  OEIENT 


them  fill  earth  and  skv,  but  cast  their  care  upon  a lo\’ing 
and  all-powerful  Father,  and  in  the  future  they  look  for- 
ward to  a heaven  of  rest,  instead  of  a foul  and  bloody 
sea.  The  testimonies  of  Christian  women  in  China  are 
simple  and  earnest,  and  bear  within  themselves  the  evi- 
dences of  their  truth  and  sincerity.  One  speaks  of  her 
effort  to  live  a Christian  life,  after  she  had  accepted 
Christ,  thus:  “I  very  fully  desired  to  glorify  God  unto 
the  end.  But  the  devil  continually  planned  and  wished 
to  stop  my  advancement  in  the  heavenly  doctrine.  Old 
sins  seemed  read}"  to  revive,  and  of  all  that  wicked  busi- 
ness I cannot  find  words  to  tell  you.  I was  e.xtremely 
sad.  But  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  took  me  by  the 
hand  and  saved  me,  and  has  aided  me  to  this  moment. 
I was  then  clear  as  to  the  fearful  temptation  business  that 
had  met  me,  and  by  trusting  Jesus  only,  I saw  that  over 
all  I had  victory  abundant.” 

Another,  speaking  of  her  own  and  her  husband’s  con- 
version, says:  “I  saw  he  was  very  much  changed  from 
what  he  was  before.  This  made  me  very  glad,  but  I 
could  not  understand  why  or  how  he  was  so  changed. 
Then  I saw  him  reading  a book  of  hymns.  I read  it 
with  him;  also  the  New  Testament.  Then  I quickly 
understood  the  whole,  and  my  heart  was  very  glad.  I 
rejoiced  greatlv  to  receive  the  Doctrine’s  preacher.  I 
trusted  Him  to  teach  me  how  to  be  saved;  and  now 
I hope  for  heaven  and  happiness.  The  Holy  Spirit 
made  it  all  plain  to  me.  I wish  the  women  of  the  foreign 
country  to  know  that  our  native  women  have  not  Christ’s 
doctrines,  but  have  a very  grievous  history,  and  ask 
them  to  pray  for  us  miserable  women,  that  the  precious 
teachings  may  come  near  to  us.  For  the  Great  Salva- 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


333 


tion  to  reach  us  is  very  difficult,  because  we  are  so  tightly 
bound  by  the  customs.  I can  only  trust  the  Lord  to  cut 
this  rope  of  Satan,  and  bring  these  bad  customs  to  a 
speedy  end,  that  He  may  reign  here.  This  my  heart 
truly  desires.” 

A Bible  woman,  in  a report  of  her  work,  says:  “I 
have  done  my  best  to  bear  the  cross  and  work  for  Jesus. 
Some  have  heard  and  believed,  while  others  have  reviled 
and  persecuted  me.  Often,  in  passing  along,  people 
have  scolded  me,  and  sometimes,  with  very  bad  Hn- 
guage,  have  ordered  me  out  of  their  villages.  But  I 
remembered  reading  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  v,  41 : 
‘His  disciples  rejoiced  that  they  were  counted  worthy 
to  suffer  shame  for  His  name,’  and  I rejoiced  greatly.” 

Here  and  there  a woman  hears  the  Word,  and  for  its 
own  sake,  without  the  aid  of  foreign  teachers,  treasures 
up  and  lives  according  to  the  message  of  salvation.  A 
missionary  tried  to  establish  a mission  station  in  a Chinese 
town,  but  after  some  time  gave  up  the  effort  as  useless. 
Several  years  after,  some  Christians,  passing  that  way, 
found  a Christian  woman,  who  heard  the  missionary 
preach  once,  and  for  years  had  been  praying  that  some 
Christian  might  come  again.  “She  had  been  sustained, 
by  the  little  truth  she  learned  then,  during  a series  of 
afflictions  which  had  deprived  her  of  nearly  all  her  fam- 
ily; and  had  clung  to  Jesus,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  all 
her  neighbors  to  convince  her  that  her  afflictions  were  a 
result  of  her  abandoning  idols.  In  that  town,  and  mostly 
owing  to  her  influence,  there  is  now  a thriving  litde 
Presbyterian  community.” 

The  English  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Female 
Education  in  the  East,  has  supported  missionary  ladies 


334 


THE  ORIENT 


and  girls’  schools  in  China,  ever  since  Miss  Aldersey, 
more  than  thirt}^  years  ago,  during  a time  of  great  peril 
and  insecurit}',  started  alone,  and  armed  only  with  that 
brave,  undaunted  spirit  that  none  but  Christian  women 
command,  to  open  a girls’  school  at  Ningpo.  At  present 
the  Society  sustains  missionaries  in  six  principal  ports, 
also  teachers,  Bible  readers,  and  schools.  Other  Socie- 
ties, English  and  European,  have  sent  a number  of  single 
ladies  to  China,  and  made  considerable  effort  for  the 
elevation  of  Chinese  womanhood. 

The  missionaries  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Societies  of  America  have  been  but  few  years  in  China. 
Those  years  have  necessarily  been  years  of  preparation, 
yet  some  good  has  been  done,  and  some  souls  saved. 
Great  difficulty  has  been  experienced  in  finding  Chinese 
women  qualified  to  act  as  teachers  and  Bible  readers. 

The  Woman’s  Union  Missionary  Society  in  1868  sent 
three  missionaries  to  Peking.  This  societ}'  is  still  repre- 
sented b}’  the  same  number  of  laborers.  Several  schools 
and  scholars  are  also  supported  by  it,  that  are  under  the 
care  of  missionaries  and  other  societies. 

The  American  Episcopal  Board  of  Missions  has  for 
many  years  had  single  lady  missionaries  in  China.  The 
Woman’s  Auxiliary  to  that  Board  has  assumed  the  sup- 
port of  eight  lady  missionaries,  seven  day  schools,  and 
three  boarding  schools,  for  both  boys  and  girls,  wfith 
nearly  three  hundred  children  under  instruction. 

The  Woman’s  Board  of  Missions,  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
in  1868  sent  two  missionaries  to  China,  and  now  they 
have  but  three  missionaries  and  one  boarding  school  in 
China,  as  the  main  strength  of  this  organization  is  spent 


AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 


335 


upon  the  very  interesting  and  promising  work  in  Turkey. 

The  Woman’s  Board  lor  the  Interior  has  sent  live 
single  ladies  to  China,  who  have  in  charge  a boarding 
school  for  girls,  besides  several  day  schools,  and  in  Peking 
have  a chapel,  the  gift  of  one  person,  as  a memorial  for 
a deceased  daughter. 

In  1871  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  returned  to  China  the 
Misses  Sarah  and  Beulah  Woolston,  who  had  already 
labored  twelve  years  in  China.  At  present  this  Society 
sustains  eight  single  lady  missionaries,  fourteen  deacon- 
esses and  Bible  readers,  eighteen  day  and  boarding 
schools,  and  three  hospitals,  the  latter  under  the  care  of 
medical  missionary  ladies.  The  wives  of  the  Methodist 
missionaries  in  China  had  a good  foundation  laid  for  this 
work  before  the  organization  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Societv,  and  they  are  still  most  earnest  and 
successful  laborers. 

The  Baptist  Woman’s  Missionary  Societies  support 
three  missionaries,  four  schools  for  boys  and  girls,  and 
employ  nine  Bible  women  in  China.  These  societies 
are  also  sending  teachers  and  sustaining  schools  in  Siam, 
for  the  enlightenment  of  the  Chinese  resident  there. 

In  1873  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Societies  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  assumed  the  support  of  eight  mis- 
sionary ladies  already  in  the  field,  and  sent  two  single 
ladies.  For  more  than  thirty  years,  the  missionaries  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  have  been  laboring  in  China, 
and  in  the  stations  occupied  by  them,  the  missionaries’ 
wives  had  a prosperous  work  already  established  among 
the  Chinese  women.  The  support  of  this  work,  and  its 
enlargement,  has  been  assumed  by  the  Woman’s  Boards, 
and  now  they  have  some  twenty  missionaries,  twenty- 
four  Bible  readers  and  teachers,  besides  several  day, 
boarding,  and  training  schools. 


jp 


*:v 


\r  - 


f 


r 


, I » I 

. / H 


ti 


■4  ’ 


. V 


'indl 


¥ 


3 V 


1 


•j" 


« 

•,i 


•t 


t'T' 


■.V'f 


.ji'  t 


•r;  • ■ 

4'  . 


■•j,  1 


V 


^1 


V 


.[  *r-  ' ' ' 


A 


1 * V-*  r 


. V. 


- ) 


fT^r 

t: 


it 


ir"  W 


»r 


/ 


5 


t • ' 


f w 


, *r  .' 


